Save Time...be a "Combination Rider!"
Chicago's unified transit system combines the convenience of city-wide surface routes with the speed of rapid transit service for transfer riders!
You don't have to live near an "L" or subway station to enjoy traffic-free, weather-free rapid transit service.
Start your trip on CTA surface routes in your own neighborhood...transfer at the nearest "L" or subway station...use rapid transit for the longer part of your ride.
Be a "combination rider!" Enjoy the advantages of rapid transit service! You'll find it relaxing...and you'll cut many minutes from your travel time as you ride above or below street congestion on fast "L" or subway trains!
YOU CAN HELP INSURE GOOD TRANSIT SERVICE ...by following these three simple suggestions:
1. Please Have Exact Fare Ready
Everyone benefits when you have exact fare ready before boarding buses, or when entering a rapid transit station. Making change is a time-consuming process which delays boarding and slows down service for you as well as your fellow passengers.
2. Don't Block Entrance and Exit Doors
Please stand clear of entrance and exit doors of all transit vehicles. Faster boarding and alighting means better service for everyone.
3. Shop Between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M.
You'll find transit service faster and more comfortable for shopping trips if you travel between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M. Shop midday whenever possible...it's more comfortable for you, and enables you to avoid the heavy "rush hour" travel.
Thank You
ABOUT CTA...
Who Operates It? The Chicago Transit Board which consists of seven members. Four are appointed by the Mayor of Chicago with the advice and consent of the City Council. Three are appointed by the Governor of Illinois with the advice and consent of the State Senate. Each appointment by the Mayor must be approved by the Governor, and each appointment by the Governor must be approved by the Mayor. The board elects a chairman from its own membership. Top operating officer of the system is the general manager.
Who Owns It? CTA is a municipal corporation. It is separate and apart from all federal, state, and local governmental agencies. It is self-regulating, subject only to the provisions of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act which created the Authority. Its extensive modernization program is being financed through the sale of bonds and equipment notes to private investors who receive only a fixed rate of interest on their investment in CTA. Revenue from riders retires these securities. When all indebtedness has been liquidated, the ownership of CTA will rest with the people of Chicago and the Metropolitan area.
What Is Its Responsibility? CTA is charged with the responsibility of providing convenient, attractive local transit service at cost. It has no power to tax. The CTA's principal source of revenue is from fares paid by riders.
Excerpted from the Chicago Transit Authority's "Chicago Transit Map," June 1963.