CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO)- As the CTA announced a new monthly scorecard to track their progress toward improving the customer experience, WBBM asked riders to score their most recent experiences with Chicago mass transit.
Giving a letter grade on metrics that include safety, cleanliness, and reliability, CTA riders surveyed in the Loop by WBBM extended mostly C’s or below in all categories.
First, riders weighed in on CTA Safety.
“I would give it a D in terms of safety,” one rider, Grant, said.
Waiting for a bus on State Street, in the Loop, Grant told WBBM that his safety concerns go beyond any criminal elements.
“Even today, one of the bus drivers when I was taking the bus on the way here, he stopped the bus in the middle of the street, like full stop, everyone almost goes flying to talk to his friend. He stopped the bus in order to just talk to one of his friend bus drivers. So, I feel like there’s no accountability on the city's part,” Grant said.
Grant recalled another dangerous instance on board the CTA.
“The person ended up pulling out a screwdriver and threatening to stab him, and everyone on the train was so worried but no one was doing anything (be)cause we didn’t want to get stabbed,” added Grant.
“Every time I’ve ever seen a security force in the train station, they’re all just standing around on their phones, usually they’re just standing, charging the phones, so I feel like it’s just a huge waste of money on the taxpayer’s part. Again, I don’t want to be someone who is just complaining for the sake of complaining. I care about the CTA,” Grant said.
“It’s a mental health crisis, in addition, all of these issues kind of intersect,” Grant said.
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Another rider, John, said he relies on the CTA Red Line daily.
“I ride it back and forth every single day, I’ve never seen security on the CTA. So, every time they say they’re going to increase security, it’s not hard to increase it from zero (laughs), there is just no security on the CTA,” added John.
Giving the CTA a D in terms of safety, John said he’s a big guy, but won’t consider riding at night.
Another rider, Morgan, gave her own sense of safety on the CTA an F.
“Generally speaking, you don’t necessarily feel like if something were to happen that you would be safe or protected,” said Morgan.
Moving on to the CTA’s cleanliness, rider Scott gave it an F.
“Just last week, she (Morgan) actually was on her way to work in the morning and sat down in someone else’s soiled seat,” Scott said.
And finally, riders reviewed the CTA’ reliability.
“That’s gotten a lot better, I’d say a B,” the aforementioned John said.
“Low C to a D, just because of the fact that, again, I’m basing this on what I’m used to in Chicago, how the transportation system we pride ourselves on, it being amazing, and it always has been,” rider Grant said.
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