Research Question 6

How does Chicago's public transit ridership compare to New York's during the same periods?

Visualization

Insights

1. Significantly Higher Ridership in New York: New York's daily ridership consistently outpaces Chicago's throughout the entire period. This reflects New York's larger population, denser urban environment, and greater reliance on public transit compared to Chicago.

2. Similar Pandemic Impact and Recovery Trends: Both cities experienced a dramatic drop in ridership at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (early 2020). Ridership began to recover gradually in both locations but at different scales, with New York recovering more robustly in terms of raw numbers.

3. Greater Seasonal or Weekly Fluctuations in New York: New York shows more pronounced periodic fluctuations (likely reflecting workweek vs. weekend trends or seasonality), while Chicago's ridership trends appear steadier. This could indicate differences in commuter patterns, such as New York's more pronounced weekday commuter base.