31st Street Bus

he 31st Street Bus, from Cicero to the Lake Front to serve the people of the Chicago neighborhoods of Little Village, McKinley Park, Armour Square, Bridgeport, the Town of Cicero, and Bronzeville.

Bridgeport Alliance

31st St. Bus

Campaign Timeline

A Selective History

1997 - CTA 31 Bus is cancelled: “low ridership”

Aug 8, 2008 - JARC Grant Authorized Ron Huberman (President of CTA at the time)

Jan 14, 2011 - LVEJO at CTA Board Meeting

Aug 10, 2011 - LVEJO action for the full route - CTA Board Meeting

Aug 16, 2011 - CTA will meet with community groups, but won’t match the $1,067,000

Oct 6, 2011 - BA/LVEJO 31st St. Bus Meeting at Benton House

November 6, 2011 - ASK CTA: Extend the grant - don’t throw out our JARC money

May 2, 2012 - BA/LVEJO Meeting at First Trinity

June 13, 2012 - BA/LVEJO Pack the CTA BOARD ROOM

June 30, 2012 - BA/LVEJO “Our Route Our Ride” Bike ride

Aug 1, 2012 - Mass call in to F. Claypool from BA

Aug 8, 2012 - Partial Victory - 35/31 Extension passed,

feasibility study promised for full route

April 2012 - NPA conference - Met with Lipinski’s staff in DC

Aug 21, 2012 - BA Meeting with F. Claypool at First Trinity - Promises us

monthly meetings with CTA

Aug 18, 2012 - BA/LVEJO Follow up / Strategizing at Benton House

Jan 13, 2013 - Ald. Balcer commits at SOUL MLK-DAY in Bronzeville to being a

champion for the bus

March 13, 2012 - Pack the CTA Board Room

Summer 2013 - Bust 31 Photo Petitions

July? 2013 - After months of trying to schedule with Lipinski, action at his office

April 2013 - NPA conference - Met with Lipinski’s staff in DC

Aug 8, 2013 - BA/SOUL/NPA Action on Lipinski’s House

(next week) - Meeting with Lipinski

Aug 24, 2013 - Bike/Roll for CTA 31

Oct 9, 2013 - Pack CTA Board Room - (1 year after the 6 month promise for the completion

of a feasibility study)

Oct 25, 2013 - Tony Munoz and Ed Acevedo promise to support, contact Lipinski

and CTA - Meet with us at Springfield with CTA

June 2014 - 35th/31st Beach extension goes into effect on weekends, in the summer

March 20, 2015 - Bridgeport Alliance meets with Sen. Munoz's, the mayor's office, and CTA. Senator Munoz's recommits to find a way to reestablish the 31st Street Bus.

April 10, 2015 - Bridgeport Alliance, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, and Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL) meet with Alderman Ameya Pawar. The CTA 11 / CTA 31 Crrosstown Bus Coalition is established to fight for North and South Side transportation in the 31st and Lincoln buses.

Monthly: BA Meetings

Monthly: Meetings with CTA (After Aug 21)

Various other meetings with elected officials, etc., not included here

Main elected officials supporting:

Ald Jim Balcer Ald Will Burns Commissioner John Daley

Rep Acevedo Sen Sandavol Sen Munoz

Rep Esther Golar Sen Mattie Hunter

Elected power players not yet supporting:

Congressman Lipinski Rahm Emanuel, mayor

CTA President Claypool will support if government or anyone gives $1.5 Million