Bed Bugs Reported on the Red Line; CTA Pulls the Car to Check It Out

CHICAGO, IL — The Chicago Transit Authority pulled one of the rail cars on the Red Line after a commuter reported finding bed bugs on one of the seats.

A user on the social media platform Reddit with the screen name UeSuRi posted photos and wrote about discovering the pests while riding the Red Line toward the Loop between 8:45 and 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 26:

"Got on the train this morning to go to work, and was excited to see an empty seat. I sit down next to 3 other people on the long 6-seater section of the redline car. About a minute later, I notice a small, clear big crawling on me. I flick it off.

"Moments later, I see two of the bugs crawling on me so I get up to look at the seat...it is infested with them and I announce it to my fellow commuters. Everyone on the row gets up, looks around, and brushes themselves off."

The Reddit user reported seeing more than 30 "small, white bugs crawing around a row of 6 seats."

CTA was alerted to the bugs on the train by a commuter, and that individual also was able to provide the number of the rail car, spokeswoman Irene Ferradaz told Patch on Tuesday.

"In these kinds of situations, once we're notified, the rail car is immediately pulled from service for treatment," she said, adding that that was the case with the car that was reported Monday.

After a car is pulled from service, exterminators are called in to determine if there is a pest problem, Ferradaz said. Even if no bugs are found, the car is still fumigated, and the interior is "scrubbed from top to bottom," she added.

Ferradaz said she was unsure how long it takes for one of its 1,400 cars to be inspected, cleaned and put back into service after a report of a pest infestation. The absence of this particular rail car, however, would not disrupt service on the Red Line, she said.

CTA buses and trains go through a "rigorous regular cleaning regiment," with daily cleanings given to the vehicles and cars at the end of each day, Ferradaz said. Buses and rail cars also are regularly fumigated, she said.

Ferradaz said she consider's Monday's report to be an isolated incident, and she hasn't heard of other bed bug outbreaks on CTA trains.

Commuters and passengers are encouraged to report any cleanliness concerns to the CTA by calling 888 YOUR CTA (968-7282) or by email at feeback@transitchicago.com.

More via Reddit

photo via Centers for Disease Control | Wikimedia Commons

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