Are Plastic Seats The Future Of A Pest-Free CTA?

By Stephen Gossett in News on Oct 3, 2016 7:15PM

Aside from hurling us into phantom itching fits, last Monday’s sightings of bed bugs (or was it lice?) on the CTA Red Line prompted the agency to take at least one train car out of service for inspection and cleaning. The CTA also confirmed to Chicagoist that trains and buses are washed before and after each run and at the end of the day. But the CTA is also developing a seemingly simple advancement that could help combat the spread of critters here in the bed-bug capital of America: plastic seating.

The CTA introduced a pilot program back in May of this year to test “state-of-the-art hardback plastic seats,” Jeffrey Tolman told Chicagoist. The test run is small-scaled relative to the size of the transit system. (We didn’t notice until a Reddit user Kathryn Meade shared her spotting— on the #81 Lawrence bus this Saturday evening—with Reddit on Monday.) But the CTA envisions big potential from the trial.

“The technology has improved over time,” Tolman said. “These plastic materials are resistant to graffiti, germs, stains and liquids. The seats are non-absorbent and easy to clean.”

The pilot, which was first publicized in 2015 when the CTA announced 150 new Nova buses, only targets “a small portion of the bus and rail fleet”—50 buses out of roughly 1800 and 14 railcars out of some 1400. The fabric seating has been a source of controversy for some time, even before the recent bug scare. “The current seating material performed very well over time, but we’ve heard certain complaints in regards to uncleanliness.”

Bed bugs are drawn more to fabric than plastic, according to entomologists; and agencies like the EPA and Department of Public Health recommend using plastic containers to safeguard uninfected materials and also to transport infected items, since they are better resistant than fabric.

Tolman said there was no timeline for the pilot program and declined to comment about the nature of feedback so far. Riders are encouraged to share their thoughts with the CTA through 1-888-YOUR-CTA or feedback@transitchicago.com. Judging from comments, plenty of transit users seem as put off by the seats' slipperiness as they are enthused about its pest-aversion possibilities, so if you're pro-plastic, let your voice be heard.