Unless noted, all extension or replacement bus routes were operated by the same companies which had introduced the streetcar routes. In 1908, Calumet Electric Street Railway and South Chicago City Railway merged to form Calumet & South Chicago Railway. Prior to the formation of CTA, Chicago Railways was the only company operating trolleybuses.
1864 - horse car service introduced on Larrabee between Chicago Ave. and Armitage
1872 - extended north to Lincoln
1895 - route converted to electric streetcar, extended south into downtown via Orleans
7/20/14 - route combined with Riverview route, operating via Lincoln Ave.
9/1/47 - Riverview segment replaced with service duplicating main Lincoln Ave. route north
2/18/51 - streetcar route converted to buses, renumbered route 10
9/9/73 - route consolidated into route 11 Lincoln, discontinuing service on Larrabee
Previously route number 40. Prior to 9/1/47 was variation of Lincoln route, operating via Larrabee between Chicago Ave. and Lincoln Ave., and branching west of Lincoln via Belmont, Damen, and Roscoe to Western Ave., near the old Riverview amusement park.
Owl service discontinued 9/9/72
Car House: Lincoln
Bus Garage: North Park
8/5/92 - introduced as bus route, operating midday between downtown and Greektown (Halsted St.)
7/2/93 - discontinued
Bus Garage: Archer
11/24/95 - introduced as bus route, operating primarily during tourist periods only
Bus Garage: Kedzie
1871 - horse car service introduced, operating between Fullerton Ave. and downtown via Clark St.
1886 - route extended north via Lincoln to Belmont, and via Ashland to Irving Park Rd.
1889 - segment between downtown and Wrightwood converted to cable car
1894 - electric streetcar service introduced north of Belmont to Irving Park Rd.
1895 - horse car service Wrightwood to Belmont converted to electric streetcar
1895 - electric streetcar service extended north from Irving Park to Foster
10/21/06 - cable car segment converted to electric streetcar, operating through
7/26/31 - extended north to Peterson
3/11/51 - streetcar route converted to buses
4/26/98 - downtown service discontinued
1/2/2007 - combined with route 37, enabling restoration of weekday downtown service
12/16/2012 - discontinued south of Western Ave. Brown Line station
6/19/2016 - service experimentally restored south to Fullerton station
9/3/2017 - discontinued again south of Western Ave. Brown Line station
Previously route number 38. First extension north of Belmont was actually via Ashland, and eventually became part of route 9 Ashland. Lincoln service also included the Riverview branch, which became part of route 98 Roscoe, and the Rosehill branch, which became part of route 50 Damen.
Car House: Lincoln
Bus Garage: North Park
1877 - horse car service introduced from Canal to Ashland
1878 - extended west to Western Ave.
1880 - extended east to State St.
1888 - extended west to California Ave.
1889 - extended west to Kedzie
1892 - extended west to Pulaski
1896 - route converted to electric streetcar, extended into downtown via Wells St.
1896 - electric streetcar service extended west to Austin
8/1/33 - basic route extended east into Grant Park for World's Fair
9/6/50 - downtown service discontinued
8/12/51 - streetcar route converted to buses, shuttle car remains east of Michigan Ave.
4/12/53 - shuttle streetcar discontinued, as redundant to acquired CMC bus routes
5/24/53 - converted to trolleybuses
1/13/73 - trolleybuses replaced with motor buses
Owl service discontinued 4/26/98
Car House: Lawndale (until 8/12/51)
Cottage Grove (8/12/51-4/12/53)
Bus Garage: Lawndale (8/12/51-5/24/53)
Kedzie (5/24/53-9/2/79)
Lawndale (9/2/79-6/29/84)
Kedzie (6/29/84-1/9/94)
Lawndale (1/9/94-7/3/94)
Kedzie (7/3/94-present)
Route number assigned to former route 55, subsequently discontinued.
1892 - horse car service introduced from Canal to Damen
1896 - route converted to electric streetcar
1/27/13 - route extended west, primarily via 16th St., to Kenton
7/25/48 - streetcar route converted to buses, separate from west 16th St. segment
3/9/55 - discontinued
Streetcar service operated through with west 16th St. service until converted to buses, with west 16th St. bus service operating further east via 18th St.
Car House: Blue Island
Bus Garage: Blue Island (7/25/48-1/16/55)
Lawndale (1/16/55-3/9/55)
Renumbering and restructuring of route 54A, later restructured again and renumbered back to route 54A.
1/24/82 - introduced as bus route 14 South Lake Shore Express
8/31/2003 - redesignated route 14 Jeffery Express, operating daily throughout day
11/12/2012 - renamed Jeffery Jump, with some service resembling BRT
Originally supplemented route 6 Jeffery Express during rush hours, with route 6 operating via local route between 47th St. and 67th St. Inaugurated during a transit funding crisis, after fare increases on nearby Illinois Central electric commuter railroad resulted many in riders switching to CTA, resulting in overcrowding of route 6. This transit funding crisis affected CTA less severely than the commuter railroads and suburban bus systems. Effective 8/31/2003, service revised to operate all day, replacing all route 6 service south of 67th St. Effective 11/12/2012, rebranded as "Jeffery Jump", using specially repainted buses and with some characteristics of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). During rush hours, exclusive bus lanes are made available over certain segments of Jeffery Blvd.
Originally rush hours only
Midday/weekend service introduced 8/31/2003
Bus Garage: 52nd St. (1/24/82-4/24/83)
77th St. (4/24/83-6/26/88)
103rd St. (6/26/88-present)
5/8/47 - introduced as bus route
1/24/82 - discontinued
Bus route operated between downtown and Canal/Archer. Canal St. portion replaced a portion of Fulton-21st St. streetcar route, discontinued previous day.
Sunday service discontinued 6/26/49
Saturday service discontinued 6/18/61
Bus Garage: Archer
8/5/92 - introduced as bus route, operating midday between downtown and Water Tower (Walton St.)
6/28/96 - discontinued
Bus Garage: Archer
8/31/2003 - introduced as bus route
North end of route replaced portion of route 1 Indiana-Hyde Park. Route provides direct supplementary service between portions of routes 6 and 14.
Bus Garage: 103rd St.
1859 - horse car service introduced from downtown to Damen
1863 - extended west to Western Ave.
1881 - extended west to Homan
1886 - extended west to Pulaski
1890 - horse car route converted to air car
1891 - Cicero & Proviso introduces electric streetcar service from Cicero Ave. to Harlem
1892 - air car service extended west from Pulaski to Cicero Ave.
1896 - air car segment converted to electric streetcar
12/27/10 - Chicago Railways acquires Cicero and Proviso trackage in city of Chicago
1912 - Through Route streetcar introduced between downtown and Austin Blvd.
9/14/24 - Through Route adopted via State St. to 119th/Morgan
10/7/46 - Through Route discontinued on State St.
5/30/54 - streetcar route converted to buses
10/5/97 - discontinued
Segment west of Cicero Ave. originally owned by Cicero & Proviso Street Railway, extending as far west as 5th Ave. in Maywood under Cicero & Proviso Street Railway ownership. Austin Blvd. was established as the Chicago city limits in 1899, and on 12/27/10, segment east of Austin went to Chicago Railways, while segment west of Austin went to County Traction Co., later Chicago & West Towns Railways.
Car House: North Ave./77th St. (until 10/7/46)
North Ave. (10/7/46-12/3/50)
Kedzie (12/3/50-5/30/54)
Bus Garage: North Ave. (5/30/54-9/9/84)
Kedzie (9/9/84-7/3/94)
Chicago Ave. (7/3/94-10/5/97)
12/9/51 - introduced as bus route
12/16/2012 - discontinued, replaced by Pace route 317
Replaced Westchester extension of Garfield Park rapid transit line. Effective 6/22/58, Garfield Park line replaced with Congress line, utilizing median strip of Eisenhower Expressway, and continuing to terminate at Des Plaines Ave. in Forest Park. From 12/9/51 to 2/22/59, buses housed at West Towns Bus Co. garage at Cermak/Harlem. Beginning in 1992, service was gradually shifted to Pace route 317.
Owl service discontinued 9/7/76
Weekend service transferred to Pace 317 2/2/92
Midday service transferred to Pace 317 4/26/98
Bus Garage: West Towns Bus Co. (12/9/51-2/22/59)
Lawndale (2/22/59-12/4/60)
Kedzie (12/4/60-9/2/79)
North Ave. (9/2/79-9/9/84)
Kedzie (9/9/84-12/16/2012)
Number assigned by CTA to previously unnumbered former CMC summer beach shuttle, never operated by CTA.
1886 - horse car service introduced on 18th St. from Halsted to Leavitt
1892 - extended east via 18th St. to State
1896 - route converted to electric streetcar
1/27/13 - electric streetcar service introduced on 16th St. to Kenton, extending 14th St. route
7/25/48 - streetcar route converted to buses, 16th St. and 18th St. segments connected
When 16th St. segment opened, was routed through with established 14th St. segment. When routes were converted to buses, 16th St. and 18th St. segments were routed through. Although weekday midday service was discontinued for a period of time, weekend service remained, as during that period of time, weekend service had been suspended on what now is the Pink Line rapid transit.
Owl service discontinued 2/2/92
Midday service discontinued 4/26/98
Midday service restored 9/6/2009
Car House: Blue Island
Bus Garage: Blue Island (7/25/48-1/16/55)
Lawndale (1/16/55-12/16/73)
Kedzie (12/16/73-9/2/79)
Lawndale (9/2/79-6/29/84)
Kedzie (6/29/84-9/7/86)
Lawndale (9/7/86-7/3/94)
Kedzie (7/3/94-present)
12/5/60 - introduced as bus route
2/1/70 - discontinued
Operated via Kennedy Expressway between Logan Square station and Devon/Harlem. Discontinued upon opening of rapid transit extension to Jefferson Park.
Operated rush hours only
Bus Garage: Forest Glen