A YouTube video circulating on social media purportedly shows bedbugs on a CTA rail car, but the transit agency said Wednesday it has never seen a bedbug or confirmed a report of bedbugs on its buses or trains.
"We've never found one and we have no confirmed reports" of bedbugs, CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said when asked about the YouTube video. "We take this stuff really seriously."
If a rider spots a bug or a pest on a bus or train and alerts the CTA, the agency pulls the rail car or bus from service, Chase said. A pest company then will inspect the car or bus and fumigate it even if nothing is found.
Buses and trains also undergo annual fumigation, Chase said.
The video was posted to YouTube on Tuesday and had received 224 views by Wednesday afternoon. The video also appeared on Facebook and was shared on Twitter. In the video, a narrator says the bugs were spotted on the Red Line. A CTA voice can be heard announcing the 79th Street stop.
In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is investigating its third report of bedbugs in a week, according to media reports.