As part of the ongoing commitment to modernize the nation’s second largest public transit agency, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) on Wednesday announced a $54 million plan to overhaul 208 hybrid articulated buses – the longest buses in its fleet serving many of the busiest bus routes in the city. The overhaul program will provide CTA customers with cleaner, greener and more reliable buses while also creating 100 new jobs. Since 2011, the CTA has acquired an almost entirely new bus fleet, providing customers with safe, reliable and more comfortable transportation. This includes purchasing more than 500 new buses and overhauling more than 1,000 buses to make them like new and extend their lifespans. With the overhaul or “gut rehab” of another 208 buses, 94 percent of the CTA’s bus fleet will be new or like new. These 208 buses currently serve some of the busiest bus routes in the city, including: #J14 Jeffery Jump, #22 Clark, #26 South Shore Express, #36 Broadway, #X49 Western Express and nearly all express routes that travel along Lake Shore Drive. By performing these overhauls now, CTA is expected to see a 20 percent reduction in hours needed for repairs – ultimately saving millions of dollars in deferred maintenance costs. A complete bus overhaul will take approximately one month to complete.