The CTA has many shortcomings that need to be addressed. These issues are evident to anyone who takes the train as you see them everywhere. In recent biannual periods satisfaction with the CTA has dropped from 61% to 46% projecting its decline.
One issue is the lack of proper safety measures on the train. In the south side and on the red line crime has become an issue for many who depend on it. The CTA cameras that they have installed are rarely ever checked this allows people to get away with a lot of things they normally wouldn’t be able to. The CTA also has been shown to be very lenient on crimes committed inside its buses. Data shows only 25% of crimes on the CTA actually end in an arrest, and only 20% of violent crimes end in an arrest; this shows how the CTA often lets crimes go without going through the proper channels.
The CTA is often shown to have a huge problem with sanitation. Passengers on the CTA often report bodily fluids and odors and sometimes seats being wet. It is also common to see debris and trash as well as spilled beverages; this causes slipping hazards which is a concern for older passengers riding the CTA. The subway stations themselves also have bad conditions; this can be seen in the discolored floors or smelled in the odor of the buildings themselves. While the CTA hires janitorial staff on their clean ups they often only mop the floors, even if there are other things that need cleaning. The janitorial staff also usually are employees who do other jobs on top of that, which divides their attention.
On top of all of that, the CTA also is known to have constant delays. This is caused by deteriorating tracks and low maintenance efforts as well as equipment issues. When something on the CTA goes wrong it often leads to incredibly long time delays, such as people being forced to take shuttle buses, which are much slower than trains. This can harm individuals who rely on the CTA to get to certain places on time, such as lower-class workers or students. This can lead to individuals losing jobs or students missing out on opportunities.
The CTA also isn’t easily accessible to many students. Students who don’t have phones often struggle heavily on the CTA to try to find out which train or bus they need to go on. On buses the screen showing which stops are coming up is often down, and in the winter the train station screens have been known to break due to the temperature. The CTA also has hour limits on when the student fare discount applies. Many students have extracurriculars past these hours on the weekends; this leads to them having to pay increased prices when they shouldn’t.
The solutions to the aforementioned issues include a variety of methods. For example, they can start by giving free train fare to all students. This allows lower-income families to send their kids to school easily, whereas originally they wouldn’t be able to. The CTA can also increase security on the train by better allocating their security, as it is common to see four security guards watching the same turnstiles. The CTA can also start cracking down on crimes inside their trains which will deter people from committing crimes. They can also invest more in a dedicated janitorial staff allowing for cleaner buses and trains. Overall, while I think the CTA has a lot of issues, I also think that every one of them can be solved.
Daniel Azuh – Loyola Academy – DMSF Class of 2030
Photo Credit: f11photo – Adobe Stock