Updates as of June 8th, 2020
CTA “L” & Buses:
Updates due to the current situation:
All CTA bus and rail service has resumed to the downtown area. Some bus routes may continue to be rerouted due to local street/bridge closures downtown.
Keep up to date here
COVID-19 Updates:
Operating on a normal schedule. More information can be found here.
We’ve implemented a number of new measures to promote social distancing and avoid potential crowding. The following measures are currently in effect until further notice:
Rear-door boarding
Bus riders are now being directed to board and exit vehicles from the rear doors. Individuals using a mobility device or those who require use of the ramp can signal to the driver for assistance at the front door. This latest effort aligns with guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encouraging passengers in major cities to enter and exit the bus through rear entry doors.
- To board via rear doors, in most cases you will be required to manually open the doors from outside the bus since many buses in our fleet do not have the ability to open the doors automatically. Our crews clean and disinfect the door edges throughout the day as part of our rigorous cleaning program.
- To allow for fare payment, we are in the process of moving farecard readers (tap devices) to the rear doors of buses. While a number of buses already have the readers at their rear doors, more buses will receive them in the coming weeks. During this transition period, we will not enforce fare payment on buses that do not yet have rear-door farecard readers.
Bus crowding management
Under the bus crowding management initiative, our bus operators now have the authority to temporarily run as “drop-off only” and bypass certain bus stops if their bus is becoming crowded. Operators will use the guideline of 15 or more passengers on a standard 40-foot bus, 22 or more passengers on a 60-foot articulated bus.
You may not realize, as this is not something you may notice when it happens, but we often use this as a service restoration technique as part of our day-to-day operations to help maintain optimal intervals to meet ridership demand and avoid bus bunching. This practices is also similar in concept to what retail and grocery stores are currently doing: regulating the number of customers inside the building at one time.
Pace:
COVID-19 Updates:
Temporary Service Reductions Starting Monday May 18, 2020
Beginning Monday, May 18, Pace will temporarily suspend service on 15 routes and modify service on another 21 routes due low ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Pace will suspend all service on Routes 241, 320, 327, 355, 372, 566, 573, 608, 610, 611, 616, 696, 757, 877, and 888.
- Pace will reduce/modify service on Routes 302, 311, 314, 319, 332, 356, 357, 379, 383, 384, 386, 504, 507, 561, 564, 569, 604, 850, 851, 855, and Pulse Milwaukee Line.
Temporary Suspension of Service on Commuter Routes and Shuttle Bugs Starts Monday, April 13, 2020
April 8 – Effective April 13, 2020, due to extremely low ridership levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, all service on the 54 Pace commuter routes and Shuttle Bugs listed below will be suspended until further notice:
Routes 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 461, 462, 463, 465, 534, 602, 619, 620, 623, 627, 628, 629, 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 640, 662, 663, 664, 665, 668, 669, 672, 673, 674, 675, 676, 677, 678, 680, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 687, 689, 694, 709, 820, 821, 825, 826, 827, 828, 829
These routes have been removed from the app, and will not appear in the trip plan.
Temporary Service Modifications for Routes 465, 471, and 472
April 8 – Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Routes 471 and 472 will temporarily operate weekday service on a Saturday schedule until further notice beginning Monday, April 13, 2020. See full notice.
Additionally, beginning April 8, 2020, buses will no longer be able to serve the stop at 3500 Lacey Rd. and will instead serve the nearby southbound bus stop on Lacey Rd. See full notice.
Service suspended on Routes 811 and 905: Rosemont Circulator and Schaumburg Trolley
Updated Mar. 27 – Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, many of the destinations served by these routes are temporarily closed. As a result, service will be temporarily suspended until further notice. Service will resume as soon as these destinations reopen.
Niles Free Bus Schedules Modified
Mar. 24 – A temporary modified weekday schedule will be implemented on Routes 410, 411, and 412 on Tuesday, March 24. Read more.
Route 754 Lewis University
Mar. 23 – Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Lewis University has temporarily closed many campus facilities. As a result, Route 754 service will be temporarily suspended until further notice. Service will resume once the Lewis University campus fully re-opens.
All Other Fixed Route Services
All other fixed route services are operating on regular schedules at this time.
Pace Offers Free Fares for Medical Personnel During “Stay at Home” Order
Mar. 25 – Pace will offer free rides on Pace fixed route bus and On Demand services to all medical personnel, including doctors, nurses, EMTs, and paramedics, for the duration of the State’s “stay at home” order. To ride free, medical personnel must present a work ID showing that they are employed at a hospital, doctor’s office, medical facility or local fire department.
More information can be found here.
Metra:
COVID-19 Updates:
Metra trains on all lines will resume operating on alternate weekday schedules on Monday, June 8, which means limited weekday service will return on the SouthWest Service, Heritage Corridor and North Central Service lines. The alternate schedules are posted here.
- Sunday schedules will continue to be used on both weekend days except on the Metra Electric Line, which will use the Saturday schedule on Saturdays and the Sunday schedule on Sundays. Saturday service will remain suspended on the SouthWest Service Line.
- Metra will be closely monitoring ridership and will add cars to trains or trains to the schedules to make sure that as ridership grows there will still be plenty of room for physical distancing.
South Shore Line:
COVID-19 Updates:
THE SOUTH SHORE LINE WILL BE IMPLEMENTING A TEMPORARY MODIFIED WEEKDAY TRAIN SCHEDULE TO BE IN EFFECT MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2020, UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. For schedules click here.
More information can be found here.
River Valley Metro:
Due to the closure of pass outlets all River Valley Metro services will be free effective 5PM Saturday March 21, 2020 through the duration of the COVID-19 Executive Order number 8 (Shelter in Place)
SERVICE REDUCTION. EFFECTIVE MONDAY, APRIL 6TH
To limit the spread of COVID-19 while providing transportation to essential workplaces and services, River Valley Metro is reducing service on fixed route service. Monday – Saturday all service will end at 7:00 pm. Customers currently using fixed route service for essential work trips later than 7:00 pm, call 815-937-4287.
Schedules can be found here.
To limit the spread of COVID-19 while providing transportation to essential workplaces and services, River Valley Metro will be reducing service to Midway as follows:
- Monday – Friday: Service will be reduced to two AM runs and two PM runs each day.
| Bourbonnais Departure | Manteno Departure | Midway Departure |
| 4:45 AM | 4:55 AM | 6:00 AM |
| 7:25 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:45 AM |
| 3:05 PM | 3:15 PM | 4:25 PM |
| 5:50 PM | 6:00 PM | 7:05 PM |
- Saturday and Sunday: All services suspended until further notice.
To limit the spread of COVID-19 while providing transportation to essential workplaces and services, River Valley Metro is suspending ALL services to University Park until further notice.
Public Transportation is an essential service and as such River Valley Metro will continue to operate during the Shelter in Place order. The order allows for travel for essential activities. We have posted COVID-19 Executive Order number 8 (Shelter in Place) to our website for information on what travel is allowed. Please refrain from using any River Valley Metro Services for prohibited travel. We ask that you practice social distancing on board our vehicles.
Dekalb Public Transit:
Face Coverings Required as of May 1st, 2020
To remain compliant with Governor Pritzker’s recent modified Stay at Home order, all public transit passengers shall be required to wear a face covering when riding a Huskie Line or TransVAC vehicle. A face covering is considered as a commercial or homemade mask, bandana, or a scarf which covers from above the nose down to the lower part of the face at or below the chin. The enforcement of face coverings will help to ensure the safety of the passengers and the employees of TransVAC and Huskie Line. This requirement applies to all individuals over the age of two who can medically tolerate a face covering or mask.
The City of DeKalb Public Transit System continues to operate as an essential service under Governor Pritzker’s Stay at Home order because for some, public transportation is their only access to basic needs. We ask the community to do their part by limiting travel to essential needs, keeping a safe distance when they need to go out, and of course, washing hands, coughing into elbows, and staying at home when sick.
Running an extended break service. Updates on routes that are running can be found in Moovit.
To provide further social distancing protections for our passengers and Operators, the City of DeKalb Transit System will be temporarily implementing rear door boarding.
Passengers will be directed to enter and exit the vehicle via the rear doors until further notice. Individuals using mobility devices, boarding with strollers, or have small children, should continue using the front door. Operators will lower the bus and deploy the ramp as needed for those front-boarding passengers.
Divvy:
Divvy is working with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) to offer half off annual memberships ($49.50) and $1 Single Rides through May 31st.
In partnership with CDOT, Divvy has also launched a 30-day program to give critical healthcare workers free bikeshare memberships. Through May 31st, eligible healthcare workers can sign up through their employer to access unlimited 45-minute trips on classic bikes for 30 days. Reach out to herobikes@Lyft.com if you are an essential healthcare organization and want to participate in the program.
More information here.
You ride (healthy), we guide.
The Moovit Team