Chicago's South Side May Lose Number 31 Bus

Without a spike in ridership or a new funding source, the 31st Street bus (number 31) will likely be canceled. A pilot program in 2016 brought back service on a limited basis from 10 am to 7 pm weekdays.  "The No. 31 serves residents of the Bridgeport and Chinatown neighborhoods, and connects with Guaranteed Rate Field, Lake Meadows Shopping Center and the Illinois Institute of Technology. The 31st Street bus route was discontinued in 1997 over lack of ridership," Mary Wisniewski reports for the Chicago Tribune. Daily trips on the 31 average a little fewer than 300 a day. To be sustainable, the CTA says it needs to average 800 trips a day.

Advocates say a lack of morning rush hour and weekend service make it difficult for the bus to gain popularity. They also point out that it stops before Lake Michigan and the Mercy Hospital campus.