#147 Outer Drive Express

Although it is nice that the 147 runs express, the consistent stagger of busses is horrible. I normally find that I wait up to 15 – 20 minutes after work only to see 2 to 3 147s pull up at the same time.

Great way to get downtown fast without all the stops. Only slower during rush hour traffic on lakeshore drive. Takes you right to shopping and other retail on Michigan ave then on to millennium park. Only wish it ran more often in the late evening.

Hey, I just wanted everyone to know that the driver of the 147 bus was kind enough to beep his horn three quick times in a row right before he plowed through a huge puddle going 35 miles an hour drenching the entire sidewalk with about 200 gallons of water.
Thanks for all you do CTA!

Okay, so yes, I am going to review a Bus Route, but it is not just
any old Bus Route, in fact, I think it’s quite special!
I pretty much ride the 147 Outer Drive Express on a daily basis and
I have nothing but positive things to say about this route.
Starting with the fact that it will take me from one end of the city to
the other with lots of great stops in between.
It goes from the Howard /​Rogers Park CTA Station on the North to
the Downtown area on the South.
I usually depart from Jarvis and Sheridan heading South and I pass
by some of the loveliest parks and beaches, great little shops and restaurants,
and I have made some great little discoveries of places I will be checking
out in the future.
And, yes, as much as I love this route I will try to avoid it during rush hour
because it can get really packed with lots of people, but then in many ways
that’s unavoidable since it’s such a popular route.
And, I have to say, Every driver I have ever encountered on this route
has always been courteous and polite, probably because they actually
have some great views along this route, hopefully making their run/​ride
more pleasant.
And, it’s an express route, making everyone’s ride a little faster, hopefully.
So, as far as bus routes go, this one is definitely my favorite!
The lakefront views are lovely in the morning.
And, for me, that sight can make my day…

Love the #147 bus. Not having to deal with the annoying/soliciting/rude/(insert adjective) characters of the Red Line is amazing, the passengers are more laid back and friendly on this bus, and the express trip down Lake Shore Drive is always fun. It interestingly is rarely off schedule and doesn’t have the bunching problems of certain routes, either (*cough* 22 Clark bus! *cough*).
The buses that much older reviews mentioned that were often breaking down on the #147 route have now been retired from CTA service, so that’s no longer an issue. Also, I haven’t noticed bus bunching on this one, to the extent other routes have it. *looks at 22 Clark bus*

I wrote this when I was on the 147 this morning, hence me writing u instead of you
If u want to get downtown in 40 minutes or sometimes less and want to avoid the red line because well you like to avoid the red line, then this is a good substitute for you.
Its like the only bus line I enjoy traveling on. It skips over some characters that would be on the train. Yes it goes from and to the howard l. But once you arrive at thr howard l, you should have planned your escape beforehand…

I take this bus from Rogers Park to the Loop every morning, and it is infinitely better than the Red Line, my former mode of transport. Also, I bring my bike so I can ride home, and it is way easier to throw it on the bus rack in front rather than worry about a full train car and people getting pissed that you’re hogging up space with a bike. Also, flying down LSD on the bus without any stops feels like light speed compared to any other method of getting from point A to point B in the city.
147 ODE is the jam.

Bryn Mawr to the loop in 20 minutes. Rock.

It’s CTA, so, you know, it’s not perfect.
But, this bus is SO MUCH FASTER than the red line when heading home as long as:
1.) It’s not in the summer during a Cubs game
2.) The weather is cooperating
3.) Some other calamity such as a car wreck hasn’t clogged LSD.
I pick the bus up around 5:15 am and express into the city. I make it to my destination — Trump Tower — in twenty minutes flat.
For evenings when I stay downtown past rush hour it’s my go-​to choice for going home. It’s barely slower than a cab and over $ 20 cheaper.
During rush hour it’s pretty much the same experience as the red line time wise, but I at least get to see the sun!

The most convenient bus stop to get where I need to go. Though sadly, between the dozens of stops and the million other people in Chicago, my net experience boils down to.
Cramped.
Slow.
(Dizzying if you’re in the rotating middle part)
Stinky.
… Convenient!

This bus is my favorite. Most of the time, I try to take the L, but when I can get this bus, I prefer it. It is so fast and efficient. The view along Lake Shore Drive is really gorgeous, too. Whenever I’m going to be near Michigan Ave. downtown, I catch this bus. It is a Godsend given that I am now living in Edgewater — practically in Rogers Park.
I am often torn, because I love the Red Line. However, I don’t live close enough to walk to that — nor the 147 for that matter. It’s a short bus ride to those stops, but I really dislike it. Today I waited over 30 minutes for the 155 … unfortunately, the 147 does not go close enough for me to walk home. So I’ll be moving when my lease is up; this is just too far away from everything for me. But, until then, this bus makes the commute to downtown about as pleasant as it will ever get. And that’s a LOT. Thank you, CTA, for this bus!

I have a love-​hate relationship with this bus. It’s no longer as reliable as it used to be. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes to show up, and that isn’t during rush hour either. Also the CTA has made another brilliant decision to run only the smaller bus on the #147 route during afternoon rush hour. So by the time it gets to Lake (it practically just began its route) it is standing room only. Then the bus driver tries to pack so many people in you can’t breathe. To make matters worse, while you are waiting for this wonderfully packed bus you get to watch five #20’s or #6’s fly by, taunting onlookers with bigger, completely empty buses. Why can’t the #147 get some love from the CTA and hand over some of those large, empty buses to the real rush hour routes?
However, I must say that when it does run express it is amazing, and it is usually much cleaner than any other bus, and the drivers are typically very friendly (something that can be hard to find). I also have never had the pleasure of seeing anyone throw up on this bus; therefore it has already far surpassed the red line in my eyes.

I have become a big fan of this bus line. It’s a wonderfully scenic route from downtown up to Loyola. It’s been very good to me.

Here is the deal with this bus: DO NOT take it during rush hour, the EL is much better and more reliable during this time. However, this bus is great during normal hours when lake shore isn’t bogged down. It takes about 20 – 30 minutes for me to get from Monroe/​Michigan area to my stop at Foster and Sheridan. So again, if you expect light traffic this is the way to go, but during bad weather and rush hour i would avoid this bus.

Dude, this bus line is AWESOME!
Seriously, it’ll get you downtown FAST and up to Rogers Park /​Edgewater crazy fast! Why would you EVER mess with the Red Line when you could have #147?
The great part about the 147 is a lot of people in Edgewater and Rogers Park don’t know about it. The bad part is, enough people do that it makes it kind of annoying during rush hour.
Only other bad part is when you get downtown and having to deal with Michigan Avenue. But depending on where you’re going in the city, sometimes that is exactly the best route to go.

This is my morning commute bus. I adore it. A lot. Though apparently, my time of day makes a huge difference in my happiness quotient.
1) It’s always on time. Seriously. You could set your watch to it… though I do get it around 5am, so it’s not like there’s traffic to set it off.
2) If you sit on the west side of the bus, you get to watch the sunrise over the lake…
3) The driver is always nice. Or least not an asshole (I’m looking at you, 155 Addison afternoon driver)…
4) It’s usually clean and it zooms along at a nice clip, even though it has like a billion stops before hitting LSD.
I heart 147. But like I said– BIASED :)

If it runs on time it’s awesome. Big time if. Because of the long distances traveled this may be the most inefficiently scheduled bus route of all time. It’s not even commonplace, it’s expected that you’ll wait forever and then have two pull up at the same time. And of course, the one that stops for you is the one that’ s packed to the gils while the one speeding away is only ¼ full. And fucking hell, you’ve never experienced the worst parts of humanity until you’ve dealt with the downtown crowd trying to squeeze 600 people on at 5:30 in the afternoon.
Within one week this summer I experienced four breakdowns (two in the same day, on the same fucking trip to work!) and one day where the bus driver simply decided not to stop for me and in the process SOAKED ME IN PUDDLE WATER. It was like a bad comedy that I couldn’t bring myself to laugh at. I’d say I was on a broken down bus at least once a week.
I moved out of Edgewater so I have no need to ride this any more, but of course, during my last ride on it after handing in the keys to my old place, it fucking broke down again. Way to go, CTA.

My 80-​seat limo. Express line from my hut to downtown. From my door to Filene’s Basement — 20 minutes! Who needs a car, I ask you?

I have great memories of this awesome sometimes aggravating bus line when I lived in Rogers Park. It was my main way to get into the city from the area. It tends to get really full early in the morning even on the big accordion buses. I’ve had a few fun incidents on this bus line like one breakdown and one woman having a seizure. It’s one of the more reliable buses in the CTA Burmuda Triangle Grid of Bus Routes.

I can’t believe I’m giving anything with the CTA 4 stars, but I love this bus. I have to budget an hour door-​to-​door, (which is just slightly longer than it takes using the Red Line) and it does get quite crowded every morning, but I live far enough north (my friends say I might as well live in Wisconsin) that I always get a choice seat. I have absolutely no idea what kind of schedule this thing is on, but there is almost always a bus within 3 minutes of when I arrive at the stop, which is literally across the street! Then, it drops me off like, 2 blocks from work. No tranfers to other buses, no dealing with train wackos, or standing on platforms in the brutal winter wind.
No, I get on the bus, sometimes read, sometimes listen to the New York Times headlines podcast to get my nugget of news in the morning, and then I close my eyes and practice my public transportation napping skills, which I am starting to master.
At night, its on the bus, and the sudoku or nap again until I get dropped off right in front of my building. Ahhhhhh…