Pace (transit)

Pace is the suburban bus and regional paratransit division of the Regional Transportation Authority in 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 2013, Pace had 39.925 million riders.[3]

Pace Suburban Bus
SloganConnecting Communities
Founded1983
HeadquartersArlington Heights, Illinois
LocaleNortheastern Illinois
Service areaCook, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry, and DuPage Counties
Service typeCommuter, Paratransit
Routes218
Fleet810 buses
663 vans
1,316 owned vehicles in paratransit service
60 community vehicles[1]
Daily ridership95,400 (Q4 2016)[2]
Annual ridership28,392,400 (2016)[2]
Fuel typeDiesel, Diesel-Electric, CNG
Executive DirectorRocky Donahue
Websitewww.pacebus.com

Pace's headquarters are in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Pace is governed by a 13-member Board of Directors, 12 of which are current and former suburban mayors, with the other being the Commissioner of the Chicago Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, to represent the city's paratransit riders.[4]

Service area

The six counties that Pace serves are Cook, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry, and DuPage. Some of Pace's bus routes also go to Chicago and Indiana. In some areas, notably Evanston, River Forest, Oak Park, and Skokie, both Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) 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.[5] In 2015, Metra regional rail was added to the Ventra app. [6]

Pace buses generally have longer routes than CTA buses. Due to its geographic service area, service is provided by nine operating divisions, 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 237, 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 387 for events at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.[7]

Pace Pulse

Pace began operating a new rapid transit service between the Jefferson Park Transit Center and Golf Mill Shopping Center on August 11, 2019.[8] The new Pulse service overlaps with part of Pace route 270 which saw a reduction in the route's service frequency.[9]

I-90 Express
Main article: Pace I-90 Express

In 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.[10][11]

ADA services

Pace is responsible for ADA paratransit service in its service area, and, effective July 1, 2006, for paratransit service in Chicago.[12] Pace also coordinates various Dial-a-Ride projects, usually sponsored by various municipalities and townships.[13] One of the largest is Ride DuPage, sponsored by Du Page County Human Services.[14] All Pace buses are wheelchair accessible and have racks accommodating one bicycle, available during all hours of operation. Pace states that it is the nation's largest paratransit service provider, providing approximately 17,000 daily trips on paratransit, dial-a-ride and ADvAntage vanpools.[15]

Incentive program

Pace 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.[16] 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).[17]

Pace is not an acronym, but a marketing name.[18]

Hybrid buses

In 2011, Pace received its first Diesel-Electric Hybrid buses from Orion Bus Industries. These Orion VII 3G buses are 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.

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. [19]

The 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/7 days a week, and four routes 390, 392, 395 and 890, run only for weekday UPS shifts.

Operating divisions

Municipal operators

Municipally supported shuttles and "trolley" services

Other major facilities

Bus Fleet
Year Manufacturer & Model Length Engine Type Numbers Divisions Notes
2005 NABI
40-LFW		 40 ft (12.19 m) Diesel 6262–6322
(60 buses)		 West
2006–2010 ElDorado National
EZ-Rider II MAX		 30 ft (9.14 m) Diesel 2600–2825
(222 buses)		 Fox Valley, Heritage, Highland Park, North Shore, Northwest, River, Southwest, Village of Niles
2011 ElDorado National
EZ-Rider II BRT		 32 ft (9.75 m) Diesel 2826–2829
(4 buses)		 Fox Valley
2011 Orion
VII		 30 ft (9.14 m) Diesel-Electric (Hybrid) 2830–2831
(2 buses)		 Highland Park
  • Used on routes 471 and 472.
  • First Hybrid powered buses ordered by Pace, painted in a Green colored livery.
2013–2015, 2017 MCI
D4000CT		 40 ft (12.19 m) Diesel 6950–6979
(30 buses)		 Heritage
  • Used on routes 755, 850, 851 and 855 as part of "Bus on Shoulder" operations on I-55
2012–2018 ElDorado National
Axess BRT		 40 ft (12.19 m) Diesel 6323–6575
6700–6786
(337 buses)		 East Dundee, North, North Shore, Northwest, River, Southwest, West
2015–2018 ElDorado National
Axess BRT		 40 ft (12.19 m) CNG 15500–15520
17500–17571
18500–18510
(102 buses)		 South
  • First CNG powered buses ordered by Pace
2020 New Flyer
XD40		 40 ft (12.19 m) Diesel 20400–20485
(85 buses)		 West
2021– ElDorado National
Axess BRT		 30 ft (9.14 m) Diesel 164 buses
  • On Order
  • 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).
  • Buses delivered in 2005 or later have the new Pace logo. Starting in 2013, buses delivered in 2002–2004, began receiving the current logo.
  • Some routes operated with paratransit or community vehicles.

References
  1. About Pace
  2. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2016" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 3, 2017. Archived from the original (pdf) on March 20, 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-09 – via http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Pages/ridershipreport.aspx.
  3. http://www.pacebus.com/sub/about/history_facts.asp
  4. Pace. "Pace Board of Directors". Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  5. "Ventra™ is here, Pace riders" (Press release). Pace. 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  6. "CTA, Metra and Pace Release New Ventra App to the Public". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  7. Pace. "Special Events". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  8. "Pulse-Launch-Newsletter7.12.19.pdf" (PDF). pulse.pacebus.com. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  9. Greenfield, John (2019-08-06). "Pace's Pulse Service, Launching Sunday, Isn't BRT But It Will Be an Upgrade". Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  10. Danahey, Mike. "New Pace bus routes between Elgin and suburban locations launched this week". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  11. "Pace Bus". www.pacebus.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  12. Illinois General Assembly (2005). "Public Act 0370, 94th General Assembly".
  13. Pace. "Dial-a-ride Service Directory". Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  14. DuPage County. "Ride DuPage".
  15. Pace. Moving Forward (newsletter), July 23, 2010.
  16. Pace. "Vanpool Incentive Program". Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  17. Pace. "Municipal Vanpool Program". Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  18. Pace. "Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  19. "Pace Buses to Ride on Shoulder of I-55". NBC 5 Chicago. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
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