CTA Improvement Project

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CTA Improvement Project

• By Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep

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Purpose
The purpose of his project is to bring CTA
(Chicago Transit Authority) up to date with
technology in order for riders to be happy, and
bring rider ship on CTA up.
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Problem 1
One major problem affecting CTA is when buses are
delayed interrupting the time schedule causing
the buses to be bunched together. Therefore,
riders are stuck waiting for another bus for
longer periods of time on the same route.
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Example
School has just let out and the 79th St bus is
running every 10min. The first 79th St bus
leaves at 300pm and arrives at its first few
stops on time. When it reaches Cottage Grove,
the bus stop is loaded with passengers. Since
the 300pm bus is being delayed, the 310 bus
catches the 300 bus very quickly. Therefore,
two buses which were supposed to be 10 minutes
apart, are now less than a minute apart.
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Solution
GPS systems should be installed on buses and bus
stop signs. With the GPS system on the bus, it
tells the driver how far the next bus stop is
from its present location. Then, the signal from
the bus goes to the nearest bus stop which
informs waiting passengers the estimated time and
distance of the next bus.
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Problem 2
At the L station students have to wait for
attendants to use their reduced fare cards.
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Example
Jerry lives in the Chatham community and goes to
school in Roseland. He has to get on the L and
take a bus from the 95th St. station. In the
morning he walks to the L and puts in his
Reduced Transit Fare Card and he has to wait
for one of the attendants to let him through the
gate. He hears his train coming and he still is
waiting for the attendant. The train leaves.
Frustrated, he decides to hop the gate.
All of a sudden, he feels a hand grab his shirt.
Of course it is the attendant, and he is accusing
Jerry of hopping the gate without paying. Jerry
argues that he has been waiting a while for
someone to let him through and he is now late for
school because he missed two trains. The
attendant tells him to leave the station before
he calls the Police.
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The Solution
CPS and CTA should partner up and issue a Student
Chicago Card(aka SmartCard) so students can put
money on their card and have their fares deducted
as reduced instead of full.