With colder weather and the holidays on the horizon, it’s likely you’ll see an increase in homeless people seeking shelter on CTA buses and trains and in stations, not to mention intoxicated partiers stumbling home from festive shenanigans.
With that in mind, it’s a good time to mention some of the more unsanitary conditions you might encounter on the CTA in the coming months. We’re talking poop and upchuck and other bodily fluids.
Whatever the cause of the squeamish sight, it’s good to know what you can and should do if you stumble upon these five unhygienic situations, and what the CTA does to keep things clean. Because let’s be honest, no one has time for urine-soaked seats and vomit-coated floors. No. One.
Feces
We all know shit happens. But when it happens on the CTA, that’s the actual worst. With more than 1.6 million daily rides and services provided at nearly all hours, spills, accidents and other incidents are bound to occur, CTA spokeswoman Irene Ferradaz said.
Instead of just taking a picture of a pile of poop on the floor of a rail car and posting it on social media, why not tell the operator or another CTA employee about the mess? They can’t amend a situation they don’t know about.
“When CTA receives a report of any unsanitary conditions, including bodily fluids of any kind, the operator immediately closes off the rail car or bus to prevent passengers from entering,” Ferradaz wrote in an email. “The car/bus is then pulled from service so that maintenance crews specially trained in handling these incidents can thoroughly clean and disinfect the vehicle.”
Urine
Nothing can ruin your day quicker than sitting on a pee-soaked seat or having the stench of stale urine waft up your delicate nostrils during your rush-hour commute. And while it sucks, chances are you’re literally just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“CTA rail cars and buses are cleaned daily, both before and after each trip, and again at the end of each day,” Ferradaz said. “They also receive deep cleanings on a regular basis.”
And if you happen to see a heathen peeing off the platform, immediately report it to the operator or rail customer assistant at the station. Because obviously.
Blood
During the colder months, the hot, dry air on rail cars and buses is enough to give anyone a nosebleed. And heaven forbid someone gets seriously injured. Blood is considered biohazardous waste, so it’s really important for riders to notify the CTA immediately if they come across it.
“The more detail a customer can provide—such as date, time, route and four-digit vehicle number—the quicker CTA can take the necessary steps to rectify the situation,” Ferradaz wrote.
Vomit
Whether it’s a bad sandwich, morning sickness or one too many tequila shots, sometimes you just can’t keep it down. Maybe offer someone a napkin if you see a person getting sick, but certainly make the CTA operator aware of the mess. Buses and trains are clean when they go into service, but customer use throughout is what leads to uncleanliness. Go figure.
“For example, on Red and Blue Lines, total travel time from terminal to terminal can reach 1.5 hours—a period during which literally thousands of riders can board and alight the train,” Ferradaz wrote.
Bugs
With a recent bed bug scare last week on the CTA, in which a passenger alleged that he encountered more than 30 bugs on a row of Red Line seats, it’s enough to make your skin crawl.
“As soon as we received a report earlier this week about potential pests on the Red Line, the affected rail car was removed from service and treated by extermination professionals,” Ferradaz wrote. “We administer pest-control treatments regularly to our fleet.”
Because customers are essentially the eyes and ears of the transit system, it’s up to us to be vigilant in the face of not-so-cleanly circumstances. I can guarantee that if YOU don’t want to accidentally step in a soggy pile of barf or spend 30 minutes breathing in the stench of an outhouse, neither does anyone else. The CTA will work to get it cleaned up as long as we let them know it’s there. Oh, and wash your hands just because.
@RianneCoale | rcoale@redeyechicago.com
The Transit Diaries runs in RedEye’s print edition every Tuesday on Page 4. If you have a story you’d like to share, email us at redeye@redeyechicago.com with “Transit Diaries” in the subject line.
