The Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on "L" Rail Transit Ridership in Chicago

This paper analyzes the varying degree of "L" rail ridership decline across the "L" stations and among different social groups in Chicago during the pandemic. We use descriptive statistics to explain the spatial variation of ridership decline and explore the influence of socio-economic and demographic characteristics to determine the varying level of "L" rail transit demand during the pandemic. We also employ a linear regression model to quantify the influence of socio-economic indicators in determining the "L" rail ridership before and after the pandemic. Descriptive and regression analyses reveal that transit service areas with a higher proportion of vulnerable populations (lower median income, lower educational qualification, non-white, zero household vehicle ownership, and people over 35 years old), higher employment density, and higher jobs-housing ratio tend to have higher demand of "L" rail service during COVID-19 in Chicago. We also find that "L" rail stations located in the South and West side of Chicago experienced lower rate of ridership decline than the downtown and Northside of Chicago during the pandemic.Ope