Riding the L - Line hours? Bus routes all 24/7? (Chicago: insurance, home)

[ChiTownYoungProfessional]

As far as using CTA trains (The L), which lines Run 24/7? Which have limited hours?

I'm under the impression that most, if not all, bus routes are driven 24/7? Is this accurate?

Thanks!

[Golden Camel]

Only the Red and Blue 'L' lines run 24/7. And the Blue Line only runs every 30 minutes between 1:30 and 3:00 a.m.

Hardly any buses run 24/7. Beyond the lakefront, overnight bus service is really rare.
And many routes are being cut back to end earlier and earlier.
You can find schedules for the individual routes here:
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Here is the CTA brochure on Owl (late night) service:
http://www.transitchicago.com/assets...s/nightowl.pdf

[glass_of_merlot]

Bus 22 Clark runs all night

[Drover]

Originally Posted by ChiTownYoungProfessional

As far as using CTA trains (The L), which lines Run 24/7? Which have limited hours?

The Blue and Red Lines run 24/7, albeit infrequently during zombie hours. The other lines doze for about 4 to 6 hours per night.

Originally Posted by ChiTownYoungProfessional

I'm under the impression that most, if not all, bus routes are driven 24/7? Is this accurate?

No.

Only select few routes run 24 hours. They are designated on this list of bus schedules as "OWL" service (as in night owl -- clever, huh?). While it's possible to get around the city via public transportation during late-night hours, there are massive coverage gaps and doing so is usually a major pain in the ass. Don't bet on the CTA to get you anywhere you need to go at 3am in any kind of timely or convenient fashion. That's what cabs are for, at least on the north and northwest sides.

[NJerseyBorn]

So is Chicago possible to live in with no car???

With the Red and Blue lines running 24/7 and the night owl buses....it looks pretty awesome

Any thoughts?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by NJerseyBorn

So is Chicago possible to live in with no car???

With the Red and Blue lines running 24/7 and the night owl buses....it looks pretty awesome

Any thoughts?

It's possible, but only practical if you live in the portions that are both densely populated and well-served by CTA train lines, namely the north and northwest sides, and maybe the near south and southwest sides. Night Owl service makes it possible to get to most parts of the city, but makes it more of a challenge since coverage gaps are fairly wide and service intervals can get lengthy. It once took me over an hour to get home just over 3 miles because I had to wait a long time for a bus, then then wait a long time again for my connecting train. If I had known it would take that long, I would have just walked.

Nowadays though you can determine how long your wait(s) will be using bus/train tracker apps on your smart phone. If wait times are too long for your liking, cabs can fill in the gaps. Keep Flash Cab on speed dial and as long as you're not on the fringes of the city they'll usually have a cab at your feet within 5 to 10 minutes. It's also possible to flag a cab in most nightlife districts pretty much 'round the clock.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by NJerseyBorn

So is Chicago possible to live in with no car???

With the Red and Blue lines running 24/7 and the night owl buses....it looks pretty awesome

Any thoughts?

Yes. I have never owned a car in Chicago and a ton of people I know don't own one either. Some of my friends have sold their cars. It really depends on where you live though. There are areas of Chicago where you'd need a car, but they're usually ones far out. Even then, it would depend on your daily life. If your work is near there or whatever, then there's still bus service there.

If you live in a number of neighborhoods here though, you don't need a car depending on if you aren't finding yourself going 40 miles West everyday for work in an area where the Metra Commuter Rail doesn't go near.

[Lorielicious]

Originally Posted by Drover

It's possible, but only practical if you live in the portions that are both densely populated and well-served by CTA train lines, namely the north and northwest sides, and maybe the near south and southwest sides.

More or less. And here's another opportunity to post my map! I've tasked a brilliant artist (me) to draw a map of where it's easy to live in Chicago sans-car.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by NJerseyBorn

So is Chicago possible to live in with no car???

With the Red and Blue lines running 24/7 and the night owl buses....it looks pretty awesome

Any thoughts?

A large majority of my friends don't own a car (I got rid of mine 9 years ago) in Chicago. As other said though, almost all of them live on the north side and work downtown. The whole working downtown thing is key as far as not owning a car.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

The whole working downtown thing is key as far as not owning a car.

It's one of them, but not mandatory. There are still professional companies with offices in areas like Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Ravenswood, West Town/West Loop, etc. It's easy to live either around your work if that's the case or live near where there's a bus/train or whatever. My girlfriend's company doesn't have an office in the Loop, but she still lives a few miles from her work and is able to ride the El there. Not only that, but there's plenty of smaller hospital branches, insurance offices, specialty medical offices (i.e. a foot clinic, or a Chiropractor), bank branches, etc all over in many neighborhoods which are still professional/professional-ish jobs. If you worked at one of those even, since the bus system covers a lot of areas, it's easily possible to live in an area even if the el isn't there.


I think it all depends on what your daily habits are. Where you work, if you go out to eat all the time or cook at home, etc etc.