Pace is the suburban bus and regional paratransit division of the Regional Transportation Authority serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to the CTA, Metra, and Pace. The various agencies providing bus service in the Chicago suburbs were merged under the Suburban Bus Division, which rebranded as Pace in 1984. In 2022, Pace had 18.041 million riders.[4]
| Parent | Regional Transportation Authority |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Arlington Heights, Illinois |
| Locale | Northeastern Illinois |
| Service area | Cook, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry, and DuPage Counties |
| Service type | Bus service, paratransit |
| Routes | 218 |
| Fleet | 792 buses 616 vans 440 owned vehicles in paratransit service 132 community vehicles[1] |
| Daily ridership | 81,800 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[2] |
| Annual ridership | 20,085,800 (2023)[3] |
| Fuel type | Diesel, Diesel-Electric, CNG |
| Executive Director | Melinda Metzger |
| Website | www |
Pace is headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois and is governed by a 13-member Board of Directors, 12 of which are current and former suburban mayors. The remaining director is the Commissioner of the Chicago Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, who represents the city's paratransit riders.[5]
Service area
editPace serves Cook County, Illinois (where Chicago is located), as well as Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry, and DuPage counties, which are the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. Some of Pace's bus routes also go to Chicago and Northwest Indiana. In some areas, notably Evanston, River Forest, Oak Park, Cicero, and Skokie, both Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority provide service.
Many of Pace's route terminals are located at CTA rail stations and bus terminals and Metra stations. The CTA and Pace have shared a payment system since 2014 called Ventra. Ventra accounts are required to obtain transfers.[6] In 2015, Metra was added to the Ventra app.[7]
Pace buses generally have longer routes than CTA buses. Due to its geographic service area, service is provided by eleven operating divisions (see below), as well as under agreements with several municipalities and private operators (school bus and motor coach companies). Pace buses provide service from the suburbs to various special events in the city, such as Routes 282 and 779 for Chicago Cubs games, Routes 773, 774 and 775 for Chicago White Sox games, Routes 236, 768, 769 and 776 for Chicago Bears games, Route 222 provides extra service to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont for events scheduled there, Route 284 to Six Flags Great America, Route 307 for events at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.[8]
Services
editPace Bus
editThe majority of Pace bus routes run daily, seven days a week. Other routes run Monday through Saturday, weekdays only, or weekday rush hours only. One route, 352 Halsted, runs 24 hours a day/seven days a week, and four routes 390, 392, 395 and 890, run only for weekday UPS shifts changes.
During weekday rush hours, Pace buses are authorized to use the shoulder of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, Edens Expressway, and Stevenson Expressway to avoid traffic congestion.[9]
Pace Pulse
editPulse Milwaukee Line
editPace began operating a new rapid transit service between the Jefferson Park Transit Center and Golf Mill Shopping Center on August 11, 2019.[10] The new Pulse service overlaps with part of Pace route 270 which saw a reduction in the route's service frequency.[11]
Pulse Dempster Line
editThe Pace Pulse line on Dempster Street spans Evanston, Skokie, and Des Plaines, and terminates at O'Hare International Airport.[12] The Dempster Pulse line inaugural run was on August 13, 2023 with a full launch on October 29, 2023.[13] The route connects to the Chicago "L" with the CTA Purple Line's Davis station and the CTA Yellow Line's Dempster–Skokie station. It also connects to Metra stations at Evanston Davis Street on the Union Pacific North Line and Des Plaines on the Union Pacific Northwest Line.
Priority Corridors for Future Development
editPace is also considering adding routes from Cermak Road, Harlem Avenue and Roosevelt Road. All three proposed routes start from the southwest side of Chicago and provide routes to either the West Suburbs or in the case of the Harlem route, further south in Chicago.[14]
I-90 Express
editIn December 2016, Pace began an on-highway BRT express bus service between Rosemont Transportation Center and Elgin on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The service uses "flex lanes" to avoid traffic and features train station like stops.[15][16]
ADA services
editPace is responsible for ADA paratransit service in its service area, and, effective July 1, 2006, for paratransit service in Chicago.[17] Pace also coordinates various Dial-a-Ride projects, usually sponsored by various municipalities and townships.[18] One of the largest is Ride DuPage, sponsored by Du Page County Human Services.[19] All Pace buses are wheelchair accessible and have racks accommodating one bicycle, available during all hours of operation. Pace claims itself as the nation's largest paratransit service provider, providing approximately 17,000 daily trips on paratransit, dial-a-ride and ADvAntage vanpools.[20]
Vanpool incentive program
editPace operates a Vanpool Incentive Program, where groups save by commuting together in a van owned and maintained by Pace and driven by one of the participants.[21] There is also a Municipal Vanpool Program, under which Pace provides a van to a municipality, for any public transportation purpose (such as demand response service for senior citizens).[22]
Route list
edit| Route Name[23][24] | Northern/ |
Via | Southern/ |
Operates | Garage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Pulse Milwaukee | Oak Mill Mall | Golf Mill | Daily | Northwest | |
| 101 Pulse Dempster | Downtown Evanston Advocate Lutheran Hospital Allstate Arena |
Daily | Northwest |
| Route Name[25][26] | Northern/Western Terminus | Southern/Eastern Terminus | Operates | Garage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 208 Golf Road | Northwest TC (Schaumburg) | Daily | Northwest | |
| 209 Busse Highway | Weekdays | Northwest | ||
| 210 Lincoln Avenue | Lincolnwood Town Center | Glenbrook Hospital | Weekdays | North Shore/ Northwest |
| 213 Green Bay Road | Mon-Sat | North Shore | ||
| 215 Crawford – Howard | Old Orchard | Daily | North Shore/ Northwest | |
| 221 Wolf Road | Wolf/Piper (Wheeling) | Weekdays | Northwest | |
| 223 Elk Grove – Rosemont CTA | Tower/Mark (Bensenville) | Daily | Northwest | |
| 225 Central – Howard | Oakton/Harlem (Niles) | Weekdays | Northwest | |
| 226 Oakton Street | Oakton/Diane (Arlington Heights) | Weekdays | Northwest | |
| 230 South Des Plaines | Algonquin/Linneman (Mount Prospect) | Weekdays | Northwest | |
| 234 Wheeling – Des Plaines | Buffalo Grove Park-n-Ride | Weekdays | Northwest | |
| 240 Dee Road | Golf Mill | Weekdays | Northwest | |
| 241 Greenwood – Talcott | Golf Mill | Weekday Rush | Northwest | |
| 250 Dempster Street | Daily | Northwest | ||
| 270 Milwaukee Avenue | Glenbrook Hospital | Daily | Northwest | |
| 272 Milwaukee Avenue North | Hawthorn Mall | Golf Mill | Mon-Sat | North |
| 290 Touhy Avenue | Daily | Northwest | ||
| 301 Roosevelt Road | Daily | West | ||
| 302 Ogden – Stanley | Mon-Sat | West | ||
| 303 Forest Park – Rosemont | Daily | West | ||
| 305 East Roosevelt Road | Daily | West | ||
| 307 Harlem | Grand/Nordica (Montclare) | Bridgeview Transit Center | Daily | West |
| 308 Medical Center | Hines Hospital (Hines) | Daily | West | |
| 309 Lake Street | Daily | West | ||
| 310 Madison Street – Hillside | Harrison/Wolf (Hillside) | Daily | West | |
| 311 Oak Park Avenue | North/Narragansett (Austin) | 47th/Lawndale (Lyons) | Daily | West |
| 313 St. Charles Road | Branding/Finley (Downers Grove) | Daily | West | |
| 314 Ridgeland Avenue | Morton College | Mon-Sat | West | |
| 315 Austin Boulevard | Central/38th (Cicero) | Daily | West | |
| 316 Laramie Avenue | Morton College | Mon-Sat | West | |
| 317 Westchester | Balmoral/Canterbury (Westchester) | Daily | West | |
| 318 West North Avenue | Northlake Commons (Northlake) | Daily | West | |
| 319 Grand Avenue | North/Wolf (Northlake) |
Grand/Nordica (Montclare) | Mon-Sat | West |
| 322 Cermak Road – 22nd Street | Yorktown Center | Daily | West | |
| 330 Mannheim – LaGrange Roads | Archer/Harlem (Summit) | Daily | West | |
| 331 Cumberland - 5th Avenue | Mon-Sat | West | ||
| 332 River Road – York Road | Oakbrook Center (weekdays)O'Hare Delta Cargo (weekends) | Daily | West | |
| 348 Harvey – Riverdale – Blue Island | Weekdays | South | ||
| 349 South Western | 79th/Western (Ashburn) | Daily | South | |
| 350 Sibley | Morton/Willow (Hammond, IN) | Daily | South | |
| 352 Halsted | Chicago Heights Terminal | Daily | South | |
| 353 95th – River Oaks – Homewood | Homewood Park-n-Ride | Daily | South | |
| 354 Harvey – Oak Forest Loop | Mon-Sat | South | ||
| 356 Harvey – Homewood – Tinley Park | Daily | South | ||
| 357 Lincoln Highway | Lawrence Manor (Matteson) | Woodlawn/13th Pl (Ford Heights) | Daily | South |
| 358 Torrence | Chicago Heights Terminal | Mon-Sat | South | |
| 359 Robbins – South Kedzie Avenue | Daily | South | ||
| 360 Harvey – Amazon Monee Express | Monee Amazon MDW7 | Daily | South | |
| 361 Harvey – Laraway Crossings Express | Laraway Crossings Amazon MDW2, MDW4 (Joliet) | Daily | South | |
| 364 159th Street | Herion/Wheeler (Orland Park) | Morton/Willow (Hammond, IN) |
Daily | South |
| 366 Park Forest – Chicago Heights | Downtown Park Forest | Chicago Heights Terminal | Daily | South |
| 367 University Park – Park Forest | Downtown Park Forest | Mon-Sat | South | |
| 379 Midway – Orland Park | Orland Square Mall | Daily | Southwest/West | |
| 381 95th Street | Moraine Valley Community College | Daily | Southwest | |
| 383 South Cicero | Oak Forest Health Center | Daily | Southwest | |
| 384 Narragansett / Ridgeland | 111th/Natchez (Worth) | Daily | Southwest | |
| 385 87th – 111th – 127th | Ridgecrest Shopping Center (Crestwood) | Weekdays | Southwest | |
| 386 South Harlem | North Creek Business Center (Tinley Park) | Daily | Southwest | |
| 390 Midway CTA – UPS Hodgkins Limited | UPS Hodgkins | Weekdays | Southwest/West | |
| 392 Little Village – UPS Hodgkins | UPS Hodgkins | Weekdays | West | |
| 395 95th/Dan Ryan CTA - UPS Hodgkins Limited | UPS Hodgkins | Weekdays | Southwest/South | |
| 410 East Niles Local | Golf Mill | Village Crossing | Daily | Contracted to Village of Niles |
| 411 West Niles Local | Daily | |||
| 412 North Niles Circulator | Golf Mill (loop) | Daily | ||
| 421 Wilmette Avenue | Northfield Plaza (Northfield) | Weekdays | North Shore | |
| 422 Linden CTA – Glenview – Northbrook Court | Northbrook CourtOld Orchard | Weekdays | North Shore/ Northwest | |
| 423 Linden CTA – The Glen – Harlem CTA | Weekdays | North Shore/ Northwest | ||
| 471 Highland Park – Northbrook Court | Northbrook CourtCrossroads Shopping Center (Northbrook) | Mon-Sat | Contracted to Highland Park | |
| 472 Highland Park – Highwood | US-41/Park Ave (Highland Park) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 475 Ravinia | Ravinia Park-n-Ride | Ravinia Festival | Special events | |
| 501 West Jefferson | Rock Run Business Park (Joliet) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 504 South Joliet | Laraway Crossings (Joliet) | Weekdays | ||
| 505 West Joliet Loop | Mon-Sat | |||
| 507 Plainfield | Louis Joliet Mall | Mon-Sat | ||
| 508 East Joliet | Silver Cross Hospital | Mon-Sat | ||
| 509 Joliet – Fairmont | Fairmont School (Fairmont) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 511 Joliet – Elwood – CenterPoint | CenterPoint Intermodal Center | Weekdays | ||
| 512 Joliet – CenterPoint | CenterPoint Intermodal Center | Weekdays | ||
| 524 West Aurora | Woodman's (North Aurora) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 530 West Galena – Naperville | Galena/Constitution (Aurora) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 533 Northeast Aurora | Walmart (Aurora) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 540 Farnsworth Avenue | Walmart (Aurora) | Rush-Copley Medical Center | Weekdays | |
| 541 Northeast Elgin | Mon-Sat | |||
| 542 Bluff City | Elgin High School | Mon-Sat | ||
| 543 Dundee – Carpentersville | Meadowdale Shopping Center | Mon-Sat | ||
| 546 Orange – Walnut | Elgin Shopping Mall | Weekdays | ||
| 547 Wing Park | Wing/McLean (Elgin) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 548 Highland | Ascension St. Joseph Hospital (Elgin) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 549 South Randall | Meijer (Elgin) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 550 Elgin Transportation Center – Crystal Lake | Weekdays | |||
| 552 North State – Spring Hill Mall | Spring Hill Mall | Mon-Sat | ||
| 554 Elgin – Woodfield | Northwest TC (Schaumburg) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 559 Illinois Route 59 | Monarch Landing (Naperville) | Fox Valley MallIL-59/High Meadow | Mon-Sat | |
| 561 Castlecrest via McAree | Newcastle/Edgewood (Beach Park) | Mon-Sat | ||
| 562 Gurnee via Sunset | Gurnee Industrial Park | Weekdays | ||
| 563 Great Lakes Naval Station | Naval Station Great Lakes | Weekdays | ||
| 564 Jackson – 14th | Fountain Square | Mon-Sat | ||
| 565 Grand Avenue | College of Lake County | Daily | ||
| 566 McAree – Keller | McCall School (Beach Park) | Whispering Oaks Apartments (Waukegan) | Weekday rush | |
| 568 Belvidere | Fountain Square | Daily | ||
| 569 Lewis | Lewis/Edgewood (Waukegan) | Lovell Federal Health Care Center | Weekdays | |
| 570 Fox Lake – CLC | College of Lake County | Mon-Sat | ||
| 571 Zion | Downtown Zion | Daily | ||
| 572 Washington | College of Lake County | Mon-Sat | ||
| 573 Green Bay Road | McCall School (Beach Park) | Whispering Oaks Apartments (Waukegan) | Weekday rush | |
| 574 CLC – Hawthorn Mall | College of Lake County | Hawthorn Mall | Mon-Sat | |
Operational structure
editGiven Pace's large service area, it is broken up into eleven operating divisions. Additionally, Niles, Highland Park and Schaumburg operate routes on behalf of Pace.
| Division | Garage Location | Areas Served | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Valley | North Aurora | Aurora and Naperville | |
| Heritage | Plainfield | Will County | |
| McHenry | McHenry | McHenry County | |
| North | Waukegan | Waukegan and Lake County | |
| North Shore | Evanston | North Cook County and southeast Lake County | |
| Northwest | Des Plaines | Northwest Cook County | |
| River | South Elgin | Elgin Area and Far western suburbs | |
| South | Markham | Southern Cook County and DuPage County | The only garage with CNG buses. As of September 2022, under construction to become a CNG bus maintenance facility. (Currently only offers CNG fueling.) |
| South Holland | South Holland | n/a | Acceptance facility for new buses and maintains electronic equipment on buses |
| Southwest | Bridgeview | Southwest Cook County and DuPage County | |
| West | Melrose Park | Western Cook and DuPage counties |
Bus fleet
editIn 2011, Pace received its first diesel-electric hybrid buses from Orion Bus Industries. These Orion VII buses were the first buses in the Pace fleet to not be powered directly by diesel. In 2015, Pace received its first fleet of compressed natural gas buses from ElDorado National; these buses operate mainly in the southern suburbs.[citation needed]
| Year | Manufacturer & Model | Length | Engine Type | Numbers | Divisions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–2010 | ENC EZ-Rider II MAX | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
Diesel | 2600–2825 (222 buses) |
Fox Valley, Heritage, Highland Park, Northwest, River, Southwest, Village of Niles | Retirement in progress |
| 2011 | ENC EZ-Rider II BRT | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
Diesel | 2826–2829 (4 buses) |
Fox Valley | |
| 2011 | Orion VII | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
Diesel-electric (Hybrid) |
2830–2831 (2 buses) |
Highland Park |
|
| 2013–2015, 2017 |
MCI D4000CT | 40 ft (12 m) |
Diesel | 6950–6979 (30 buses) |
Heritage |
|
| 2012–2018 | ENC Axess BRT | 40 ft (12 m) |
Diesel | 6323–6575 6700–6786 (337 buses) |
North, North Shore, Northwest, River, Southwest, West | |
| 2015–2020 | ENC Axess BRT | 40 ft (12 m) |
CNG | 15500–15520 17500–17571 18500–18510 20500–20505 (108 buses) |
South |
|
| 2020 | New Flyer Xcelsior XD40 | 40 ft (12 m) |
Diesel | 20400–20485 (85 buses) |
West | |
| 2021 | ENC Axess BRT | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
Diesel | 20300–20322 (23 buses) |
Fox Valley | |
| 2023 | Proterra ZX5 MAX | 40ft (12 m) | Electric | N/A (20 buses) | North |
|
- Individual units in a series may be retired or out of service (also, a few units in a mostly retired series might still be operating).
- No buses with fleet numbers ending in 13 (20400–20485 consists of 85 buses, and there is no 20413).
- Some routes operated with paratransit or community vehicles.
References
edit- ^ About Pace
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "Transitions & Innovations: 2022 Annual Report" (PDF).
- ^ Pace. "Pace Board of Directors". Retrieved 2008-10-22.
- ^ "Ventra™ is here, Pace riders" (Press release). Pace. 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
- ^ "CTA, Metra and Pace Release New Ventra App to the Public". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ Pace. "Special Events". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
- ^ "Pace Buses to Ride on Shoulder of I-55". NBC 5 Chicago. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ "Pulse-Launch-Newsletter7.12.19.pdf" (PDF). pulse.pacebus.com. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ Greenfield, John (2019-08-06). "Pace's Pulse Service, Launching Sunday, Isn't BRT But It Will Be an Upgrade". Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ "Faster bus service to O'Hare is on the way". 12 July 2022.
- ^ "Pulse - Dempster Line Route | Pace Suburban Bus".
- ^ "Priority Corridors for Future Development | Pace Suburban Bus". 27 May 2020.
- ^ Danahey, Mike (21 December 2016). "New Pace bus routes between Elgin and suburban locations launched this week". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ^ "Pace Bus". www.pacebus.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ^ Illinois General Assembly (2005). "Public Act 0370, 94th General Assembly".
- ^ Pace. "Dial-a-ride Service Directory". Retrieved 2007-10-01.
- ^ DuPage County. "Ride DuPage".
- ^ Pace. Moving Forward (newsletter), July 23, 2010.
- ^ Pace. "Vanpool Incentive Program". Retrieved 2007-10-01.
- ^ Pace. "Municipal Vanpool Program". Retrieved 2007-10-01.
- ^ "Pace Bus Routes". RTAMS. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Routes, Schedules, and Maps". Pace. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Pace Bus Routes". RTAMS. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Routes, Schedules, and Maps". Pace. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Pace Divisions | Pace Suburban Bus". www.pacebus.com. Retrieved 2021-04-19.