CTA Will Eliminate Evanston's 201 Night Bus

As part of a plan to restructure bus and rail routes around Cook County, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is planning to eliminate the 201 Night Route in Evanston, according to a press release from the city.

Along with ’s Transportation Center, the CTA studied routes throughout its service area to create a plan that beefs up service where ridership is high and reduces or eliminates routes where ridership is low. Evanston's Night Route 201 is among the routes with the lowest ridership, according to the agency.

The 201 bus travels down Chicago Avenue from Central Street to Howard Street to fill the gap in service when the Purple Line is not running, between 1 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. on weekends. On average, 46 people ride the bus on a given weekday, meaning there are just 4 to 6 passengers on an individual bus, according to the CTA. 

Members of the public who are interested in weighing in on the change are invited to attend a hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, at the CTA headquarters, 567 W. Lake St. in Chicago. Anyone can also comment on the agency's proposed restructuring online, at www.transitchicago.com/feedback.

The CTA board will vote on the changes at its Sept. 12 board meeting, with new routes and eliminations going into effect this December.