#36 CTA Bus

Scum of the earth on 4 rusty wheels. Beyond that, some of those harmless crazies do go crazier and will harm you. I was attacked last year and this other woman was punched in the face; all the while a bus full of people at 4 in the afternoon watched and did nothing. A police report was filed but the sh**sack never got caught, maybe because the bus driver decided to call her supervisor instead of the police. Take another bus if you can. It will make you not hate humanity so much.

Oh the CRAZY BUS… you get no stars from me. You are filthy, packed and must be the worst «bus bunching» offender in the CTA line-​up.
Yes, public transportation is always a cast of characters. But for some reason, your cast is a lot more worn, tattered and CRAZY than those who haunt the other CTA routes.
Even for a quick jaunt from Irving Park to Diversey, you’re a painful ride through the worst dregs of humanity. Those who’ve had the pleasure of riding this bus know what I’m talking about.
Walk, bike or grab a cab. Or even wheel yourself down the street.

Most of the time I’m using the CTA it’s to go between Andersonville and East Lakeview. It would almost seem that the 22 would be ideal for this except that the 22 is completely unreliable and generally full of jackasses. I keep having to remind myself: If you ever have yourself convinced that the Clark bus is going to be more advantageous than the Broadway bus, you’re 98% likely to be making a mistake that will cause you to arrive late and frazzled to wherever you’re going so do yourself a favor and walk the extra two or three blocks to Broadway. Of course, the good news is that the Broadway bus is more likely to be running on time and that it isn’t the Clark bus but the drawback to the Broadway bus is that it’s usually bursting with crazy people. I find though that the crazy people are harmless enough and if I’m feeling particularly fragile I find that it’s quite worthwhile to hop on the 146 instead.

i think it’s equal parts hilarious and ridiculous that an individual CTA bus has review page on Unilocal.why put things like the CTA on Unilocal?either you’re going to use it or not. it’s not like you can «shop around» for another public transit service.
but i’m going to partake just this once. and when thinking of a bus to review, it’s gotta be the 36. the «dirty six» is so ghetto and late! don’t wait for it, take a cab!

I take this bus every morning for school and it comes on time without fail. Thank you, CTA. You make me hate buses less.

You, 36, made me a liar… in front of tourists. What the hell? A nice out of town couple first asked me if this is the right bus to get to their destination. I said yes. Then they asked me how often buses like the 36 run. I said (trying to be as fair as possible, knowing full well it’s not always the case), um, well, usually every 5 –10 minutes. We chat in the meantime. I explain to them the different options of getting around the city since they’re not used to public transportation. I get it. I was once in their shoes. 8 minutes roll on by. We keep chatting. Another 5 minutes pass by. I can tell they were getting kind of impatient, and I don’t blame them. Wait. Do my eyes deceive me? Are there really 3 separate buses of the #36 approaching? Oh, of course there are. You and the #22 are the same. Damn you. In all fairness though, I can’t hate you too much. You used to bring me to and from work.

OK, you’re now on bus tracker along with your friend the 22. I guess that warrants 1 more star.
Just to be clear I haven’t forgiven you, I’m just a little less angry. Don’t make me reget giving you another star!
Mary

This is one of the reasons I think Andersonville is best served by a gas guzzler instead of public transit. I’ve always been amazed at the parade of humanity this route picks up: the ex-​gang-​banger/​shot gun victim in a wheelchair whose lot in life is making as much a fuss as possible about an unavailable handicap spot on an overly packed bus. The crazed homeless person who always leaves a little pet in the seat after they exit – hopefully, it’ll die within a day after leaving its blood host. The young student who looks lost and forlorn at their choice to move to the edge of the public transit universe. The drunk vet who starts conversations with himself, gets bored and rants to others nearby. It’s never a dull ride on desperation drive.

The Dirty Six.
Why are you so erratic? Why don’t you apparently run past 1 AM? You keep me waiting until I get cold, and I regret not boarding my longtime love, the Red Line. Why, when I get on, are you always filled with the misfits, the filthy, the weirdos more than any other line, any time of the day or night? You bunch up regularly, and then leave giant gaps in the arrival times. I’ll never figure it out, but I guess I’m stuck with you at least some of the time, you lousy bitch.

Why oh why are you never on time? I get to the bus stop early you leave me waiting. I get to the bus stop on time you leave me waiting. I get to the bus stop late because you are always late and I just miss you! Can you have your people call my people so we can set something up that works better for me? That would be great!
Otherwise I have no complaints. I always find a seat. I have had no run ins with miscreants, idiots, assholes, or unfortunately hotties (crosses fingers) as of yet. But have met many personalities and walks of life. The bus is truly a cultural melting pot.
Now if we can work on that timing thing that would be great!