Chicago-area transit may look different this summer, with social distancing and the end of rush hour

The packed rush hour train and bus were until recently common features of urban life.

But the daily ritual of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, silently grousing about backpacks while looking down at your phone and waiting for your stop, may not be repeated until the new coronavirus has been eradicated.

Ridership has dropped precipitously on Metra, CTA and Pace, as it has on public transportation systems around the country. Just at the CTA, ridership is down 80%. When riders do return — and that process is expected to take much longer than how fast they fled — the experience is likely to be different…Please click here to read Mary Wisniewski ‘s story in the Tribune.

Related: Tips for transit riders during COVID-19  and Metra introduces new day ‘touch less, pay less’ day pass