Nov. 21--There's an annual CTA Holiday Train and now there's a holiday bus.
The CTA will operate a holiday bus, a 60-foot bus adorned with festive decorations that features a picture of "Ralphie the Reindeer," next month until Dec. 23, the agency announced Friday.
The bus will make its debut Saturday at the Magnificent Mile Festival of Lights parade downtown. Starting Dec. 2, the bus will operate generally from 1 to 8 p.m. on nine regular CTA routes that serve downtown, the CTA said.
The CTA Bus Tracker will denote the holiday bus with a candy cane. Normal CTA bus fares apply to ride the bus.
The bus is supposed to complement the Holiday Train, a train decorated Christmas gear that will begin its annual run the day after Thanksgiving on the Green Line.
As part of a two-decade tradition, the Holiday Train visits every CTA rail line. The CTA on Friday also released the Holiday Train schedule.
The holiday bus schedule:
>> Dec. 2 and 3: No. J14-Jeffery Jump
>> Dec. 4 and 5: No. 62-Archer
>> Dec. 6 and 9: No. 3-King Drive
>> Dec. 10 and 11: No. 12-Roosevelt
>> Dec. 12 and 13: No. 66-Chicago
>> Dec. 17 and 18: No. 56-Milwaukee
>> Dec. 19 and 20: No. 22-Clark
>> Dec. 22: No. 124-Navy Pier
>> Dec. 23: No. 49-Western
