Transforming CTA’s Post-Pandemic Future
Every day, we work to provide as much service as possible to our bus and rail customers.
However, unprecedented workforce challenges facing the entire U.S. transit industry are preventing us from providing all our scheduled service. In August, we issued “Meeting the Moment,” a comprehensive plan to address the myriad issues facing the CTA, and the first plan of its kind among U.S. transit agencies.
Here’s a look at the issues surrounding the workforce challenges, and what we are doing to address it:
A national issue
Workforce shortages have plagued many industries, but the entire transportation segment, particularly those where commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) are required – e.g.., aviation, trucking, logistics and delivery companies, construction and more – has been particularly hard hit. Two recent transit industry reports highlight the prevalence of the issue.
The first, “Transit Workforce Shortage” (October 2022) issued by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) – which represents more than 1,500 public- and private-sector organizations in North America – found that:
- 96% of agencies surveyed are having workforce challenges
- 84% of agencies reported that staffing shortages are impacting service
The second report “Bus Operators in Crisis” (July 2022), issued by The TransitCenter, which focused solely on bus operators, found that:
- In 2021, the average transit operator is ten years older than the average American worker, 52.7, leading to higher attrition rates.
- The staffing crisis began before COVID-19, but the unprecedented pandemic worsened the existing problem for agencies across the nation.
Here is some recent media coverage from across the U.S. about the industrywide workforce challenges:
How we are addressing the challenge
The days of simply posting a “Now Hiring” notice are long gone. We are now competing with numerous other industries for qualified candidates to fill positions that require CDLs. We have taken numerous and extraordinary steps to remain competitive in the marketplace, including:
Expanded and aggressive recruitment, hiring and retention initiatives
New workforce rules now allow us to directly hire full-time bus operators, whereas before they had to start as part-time. This change resulted in more than 300 part-time bus drivers transitioning to full-time. We also brought back recent retirees for some positions, including assisting in the training of new hires.
Hosted more than a dozen virtual and in-person job fairs in 2022, with more planned in 2023. And to increase our pool of candidates, a commercial driver’s license (CDL) is no longer a pre-requisite to apply.
To help remove a large financial barrier, qualified CTA applicants can take part in a free, two-week course to acquire their Commercial Learner’s Permit, which is needed to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Class "B". This program is offered through a new partnership with Olive-Harvey College, in which CTA covers all costs associated with tuition, training, books and other fees associated with the permit exam.
To attract and retain employees, new financial incentives are now available. All new bus operators, bus mechanics and rail car repairers hired in 2022 and 2023 will receive a $1,000 hiring bonus. Further, all eligible employees will receive a retention incentive payment after every six-month period worked, though December 2023.
Now through 2024, salaries for newly hired bus mechanics and railcar repairers will begin at 100 percent. Previously, salaries for these positions would begin at 80 percent of hourly rate, then move up to 100 percent after two years. And for newly hired bus and rail operators, the period to reach 100 percent of the top pay rate has been shortened by 12 months, from 45 months to 33 months.
Optimized schedules for more consistent service
Rail Schedule Optimization
New rail schedules, which maintained hours of service, were implemented in October to better reflect existing staffing levels. All rail lines, except the Yellow Line, saw weekday schedules optimized, while the weekend schedules for Blue, Red, Brown and Orange lines were also optimized. Within the first few weeks of these changes, improvements included:
- Reduced instances of rail service intervals that were three times the scheduled service by 65.7% on the Blue Line and 41.1% on the Red Line (weekdays).
- Reduced instances of rail service intervals that were two times scheduled service by 20.1% on the Blue Line and 10.8% on the Red Line (weekdays).
Bus Schedule Optimization
New, temporary schedule changes were implemented along 52 bus routes—nearly half of all bus routes—to also better align schedules with the current available workforce. These changes went into effect in early January and are intended to provide more consistent service and improve the accuracy of Bus Tracker results.
Tracking our progress
Importantly, the workforce issues facing the public transit industry didn’t just appear one day: they emerged and accelerated since the onset of the pandemic. While we are continuing to make progress, this is not a matter that will be resolved overnight or in a few months.
To increase visibility into our ongoing efforts, we’ve created monthly Meeting the Moment Scorecards, which allows you to track our progress in hiring, and other key metrics outlined in our “Meeting the Moment” Action Plan.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the second largest public transit agency in the United States with more than 1,800 buses, 1,400 railcars, 9,000 front line operations staff, and a 2019 weekday ridership base of almost 1.5 million. We serve the City of Chicago and 35 surrounding suburbs and we provide more than 80 percent of regional transit rides. CTA is the backbone of Chicago’s and the regional transportation network.
Similar to many industries, public transit was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic as ridership plummeted in March 2020 and commuting patterns changed for the long-term. CTA met this moment by delivering as much service as possible to the essential workers and transit dependent riders of the region throughout the pandemic. As vaccines rolled out and people began to return to a “new normal”, CTA began facing new challenges with a hiring deficit and growing bus and rail operator attrition impacting service delivery.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not over. CTA, along with several industries, is feeling the continued impacts of this new normal on our workforce and service. We are also impacted by other socio-economic conditions of the region we serve. Particularly, instances of crime and unruly behavior on our system are negatively impacting rider experience.
Meeting the Moment: Transforming CTA’s Post-Pandemic Future Action Plan aims to address these issues in the near-term, while also laying the foundation for a long-term transformation of the Agency. Our long-term goal is to align our growing transit network with new mobility patterns and ensure CTA is a first choice of travel for many riders in the region.
This customer-focused action plan is grounded in five key pillars.
- Deliver reliable and consistent service
- Enhance safety and security for our riders
- Improve the customer experience at our facilities
- Upgrade our digital tools to improve rider communication
- Invest in our employees
These pillars are central to the CTA rider experience, and will be reinforced by near-term strategic investments, initiatives, and tools. As the Agency rolls out this action plan, our senior leaders will be seeking input from our customers and connecting with riders across the system, and the Agency will be working hard to recruit bus and rail operators to alleviate the workforce shortage. The engagement and roll-out of this plan will also inform a long-term strategic plan to prepare the Agency for success in a post-pandemic world.
Meeting the Moment: Transforming CTA’s Post-Pandemic Future
Meeting the Moment presentation slides
Latest News
![]()
CTA Ridership Reaches Highest Levels Since 2020
03/22/2023
In 2022, CTA annual ridership reached 243.5 million, adding more than 47 million rides from the 2021 annual total of 196 million.
Read More about
CTA Ridership Reaches Highest Levels Since 2020
![]()
Help Keep Chicago Moving! CTA Seeking Bus Operator and Bus Mechanics Applicants
03/06/2023
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is hosting an in-person career fair for full-time Bus Operators and Bus Mechanics on Friday, March 10, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Now offering competitive pay rates, plus hiring and retention bonuses – this is the perfect time to learn more and apply for these full-time positions, which can lead to a long-term, rewarding career in transportation.
Read More about
Help Keep Chicago Moving! CTA Seeking Bus Operator and Bus Mechanics Applicants
![]()
Livestreaming to Show AM Rush Service Commuting Conditions on Blue Line O’Hare Branch
02/28/2023
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) this week began providing Blue Line O’Hare branch customers livestream video of select platforms to provide real-time insights into morning commuting conditions.
Read More about
Livestreaming to Show AM Rush Service Commuting Conditions on Blue Line O’Hare Branch
![]()
Enhanced Interactive Scorecard: CTA Provides More Reliable Service in January
02/08/2023
Both bus and rail service reliability improved in January, with fewer long waits and more scheduled service delivered compared to optimized schedules—according to the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) latest interactive scorecard on the “Meeting the Moment” Action Plan.
Read More about
Enhanced Interactive Scorecard: CTA Provides More Reliable Service in January
![]()
New Year, New Career! Join the Team that Moves Chicago. CTA Seeks to Hire Bus Operators and Bus Mechanics
01/24/2023
Take the first step towards establishing a new career in the new year within the diverse field of transportation by attending the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Hiring Event on Saturday January 28th at CTA Headquarters.
Read More about
New Year, New Career! Join the Team that Moves Chicago. CTA Seeks to Hire Bus Operators and Bus Mechanics
![]()
CTA Continues to Make Progress on "MTM" Action Plan
01/13/2023
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) today issued its latest monthly scorecard tracking the progress the agency is making to improve service as part of its “Meeting the Moment” Action Plan.
Read More about
CTA Continues to Make Progress on "MTM" Action Plan
![]()
Bus Schedule Optimization to Provide More Consistent, Reliable Service
01/09/2023
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) today announced changes to its bus schedules on nearly half of its bus routes – intended to provide better, more reliable service.
Read More about
Bus Schedule Optimization to Provide More Consistent, Reliable Service
![]()
CTA Welcomes Newest Hires, Among Them: 130 Plus New Bus Operators
12/20/2022
As part of ongoing efforts to address workforce challenges and improve service throughout the system, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) today announced the addition of more than 160 new employees to help fill critical positions in Bus Operations, Bus Maintenance and Rail Station Management.
Read More about
CTA Welcomes Newest Hires, Among Them: 130 Plus New Bus Operators
![]()
CTA Continues to Make Progress on Action Plan
12/15/2022
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) today issued its latest monthly scorecard tracking the progress the agency is making on initiatives introduced in support of its “Meeting the Moment” Action Plan. The enhanced scorecard measures the agency’s performance in a number of operational areas—and reflects both progress being made as well as the need for more work in many areas. The latest scorecard highlights ongoing, gradual improvement in service delivery and reliability, as the CTA continues to face
Read More about
CTA Continues to Make Progress on Action Plan
Results: 1 - 10 of 35 Articles