Agency celebrates achievements, honors instructors, and recognizes newly certified operators
In its commitment to deliver more frequent and reliable bus and rail service this year, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) celebrated two major milestones today –the training and qualifying of more than 200 new rail operators and the hiring of more than 1,000 new bus operators in 2024, of which more than 850 have entered service. CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr., along with other agency leadership celebrated these landmark achievements, which were critical to the agency reaching pre-pandemic service levels across the bus and rail systems before the end of the year.
The event comes on the heels of the CTA announcing its winter bus schedule, which goes into effect Sunday, December 22, and fully restores scheduled bus services to pre-pandemic levels.
“We have reached and surpassed our goal of qualifying 200 new rail operators this year—an achievement that was vital to re-establishing the level of rail service our riders expect,” Carter said. “Meanwhile, we’ve also ensured our bus network can fully return to pre-pandemic levels. We owe much gratitude for the dedication and teamwork of our new operators, veteran instructors and temporary retired instructors, who worked tirelessly to bring our transit system back from an unprecedented pandemic and the darkest times many of us have seen in our lifetimes.”
Hosted at CTA University, the employee celebratory event also brought together newly trained operators, community members, and instructors. Carter acknowledged the operators’ role in boosting service, while congratulating and thanking bus and rail instructors, including retirees, who returned to work to help the agency meet the demands for boosting training output. First Year Operators also received certificates for their successful transition.
Rail Service Goals: At the outset of this year, President Carter set an ambitious goal to double CTA’s intake of new rail operator trainees, increasing classes from the previous year and accommodating at least 20 participants per training cohort. Some said it could not be done, but the workforce expansion helps ensure CTA has the skilled personnel needed to meet increasing ridership and planned service enhancements in 2025.
This fall, CTA successfully restored pre-pandemic service levels with a 20% boost in scheduled weekly roundtrips across all eight rail lines. When compared to the Spring 2024 schedule, the system now provides over 1,200 additional weekly rail trips—enhancing service frequency and delivering shorter wait times and more convenient travel throughout the city.
Bus Service Goals: The CTA’s success in hiring more than 1,000 new bus operators this year – of which 850 have been qualified and entered service – showcases a commitment to going above and beyond baseline service restoration. With these new operators in place, the bus system continues to deliver top-tier service, which currently exceeds 99% of scheduled service delivery.
Looking ahead to 2025, CTA is poised to further improve the rider experience by introducing more frequent bus and rail service, while also exploring innovative tools that improve the customer experience. This includes piloting a service disruption management feature on CTA Bus Tracker to eliminate ghost buses, to the testing of new technologies that expand real-time arrival and alert signage to bus stops. This forward-thinking approach ensures CTA continues to put the customer first and will remain well-prepared to handle the unexpected and deliver a modern, reliable transit experience.
The CTA remains committed to ongoing improvements and expansions that benefit both riders and employees. Building upon these achievements, the agency will continue to invest in training and development, recruit additional talent, and refine service schedules to align with evolving ridership patterns. As the CTA moves forward, its strengthened workforce and growing expertise ensure Chicagoans can rely on accessible, efficient, and customer-focused transit well into the future.
*Editor’s Note: CTA grants permission for all media to use the attached images and the following b-roll – either a portion thereof or in its entirety – in its broadcasts or on its websites. Please courtesy: CTA.
B-roll is available: https://transitchicago.box.com/s/r40e7la8j1d5kbjwo4w3tpxumgd2n3wb