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'Reeking Of Urine'; One Rider Unsatisfied With Cleanliness Of CTA Trains

Chicago (CBS) -- If you take a ride on the CTA, you may have a stomach-churning story about what you see and smell.

Trash on Chicago's trains is inevitable with as many as 800,000 people using them a day.

But, one rider's cell phone is littered with repeat examples of CTA uncleanliness.

Sandy has more than two years of dirty documentation, including a bottle of urine from Feb. 2018, a suspicious smudge from that March and an empty liquor bottle she saw last week.

"I just pull my phone out of my pocket and people, they smile. They know what I'm doing," she said.

And then there are the things her camera can't show.

Sandy thinks odors are trapped in the fabric seats CTA is already in the process of removing due to "customer feedback."

A CTA spokesperson said the following about train cleaning schedules:

  • Trains are tidied up before and after each trip.
  • "Debris clean-up, spot mopping and graffiti removal" happen at the end of each day.
  • All surfaces, seats and windows are deep cleaned every couple of weeks.

But, Sandy's not convinced. She says the animal waste she took a picture of six weeks ago was still there this morning.

The CTA has run an ad campaign with signs like "Your maid doesn't work here."

Clearly, some riders didn't get the message. The transit agency said they do the best they can but also rely on riders to alert customer service.

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