Activists Hope To Reinstate Another South Side CTA Bus Route
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Community activists hope to reinstate yet another CTA bus route.
Activists at the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization (KOCO) tell WBBM's Bob Roberts that they hope to re-extend the truncated 1/Bronzeville-Union Station route to 64th and Stony Island, though it was terminated in September 2013, when the route was known a 1/Indiana-Hyde Park.
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Seventy-year-old Alfonso Jones says he used to take the bus to and from countless stores, three hospitals and a number of schools. But now he says he worries about his safety on the alternative, the CTA train "L," because of recent crime.
"Seniors, right now, are afraid to ride the CTA 'L,' because of all the problems that the CTA is having, especially, particularly on the Red Line.
Other activists who seek reinstatement of the route south of 35th Street say it passes nearly 40 senior citizen homes.
They cite CTA statistics showing the cutbacks from 64th and Stony Island to 51st and Indiana cut ridership overnight in 2003 from 6,661 riders a day to 3,780. Now that the renamed Bronzeville/Union Station route terminates at 35th and Michigan, ridership is a mere 1,800.
Other groups have had recent success reinstating pilot programs on the 11/Lincoln and long-dormant 31/31st Street lines. KOCO hopes to do the same with the No.1 bus for the sake of convenience, if nothing else.
"Right now, if you live on 51st, you have to catch three buses just to get to State and Adams," Jones said.
KOCO members met last week with a CTA planner, and have planned meetings with the aldermen along the pre-2003 route, Ald. Pat Dowell (3), Ald. Sophia King (4) and Ald. Leslie Hairston (5), to seek support.
