Chicago Transit Authority struggles with spiking crime and complaints about nuisance behavior

As the Chicago Transit Authority looks to draw back riders, the agency is grappling with spikes in violent crime and complaints that more riders are breaking rules, leading to issues like smoke-filled train cars.

For much of 2021 and 2020, police issued more tickets for smoking, drinking and other infractions on the CTA, per million riders, than they did the year before the pandemic, a Tribune analysis of ticketing data shows.

Meanwhile, violent crime on the system was up in 2021 compared with 2020, and was also up at the beginning of this year, according to Chicago police.

The data sheds light on what it has been like to ride CTA buses and trains during the pandemic. Now, as residents are returning to offices and resuming outings, agencies must think carefully about how they address the situation, because many riders with the option