Website Predicts Crowds to Inform Social Distancing on Buses and Trains

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has released an online platform providing information about bus capacity to help inform social distancing while riding public transit as the city begins to reopen some sectors of its economy, reports Mary Wisniewski.

"The dashboard, posted on the CTA’s website, shows each bus route, with times of day marked with green, yellow or orange bars," according to Wisniewski. "Green indicates low ridership, yellow means some seats are available, and orange means the bus may be too crowded to safely board."

The platform relies on average ridership data for the previous two weeks, see real-time experience could differ from the platform's predictions, as riders attempt to navigate the CTA system under terms set by the Chicago Department of Public Health, which set capacity limits for buses and trains at "15 passengers on a standard 40-foot bus and 22 passengers on a 60-foot articulated bus and on each rail car," reports Wisniewski.

Many transit riders hoping to reconnoiter transit crowds before taking a trip also have the option to check Google.