Commuters wait for a Blue Line train at the Damen station. (Heather Charles/Chicago Tribune)

By Tracy Swartz
RedEye

The CTA saw 529.2 million riders in 2013, down about 3 percent compared to 2012, according to CTA data.

The agency recorded 300.1 million bus rides in 2013, down 4.6 percent compared to the previous year, about 229.1 million train rides, down about 1 percent versus 2012.

In 2012, the CTA accommodated 545 million riders, up 2.4 percent from 532 million riders in 2011. The agency's 2012 ridership was the highest total in 22 years, the CTA reported.

In 2013, the agency upped the prices of its unlimited fare cards. The cost of the 30-day unlimited card jumped from $86 to $100. In late 2012, the agency also cut about a dozen partial or full bus routes as part of a plan to increase capacity on its busiest routes to quell crowding.

Also last year, the agency shut down the southern portion of the Red Line for five months to replace track and overhaul stations. In the meantime, ridership was diverted to shuttle buses and the Green Line.

CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said the 2013 ridership number was "very close" to the agency's 529.9 million ridership forecast for 2013.

tswartz@tribune.com