I-90 Express Services

Express Routes

The I-90 Express is a series of routes that offer a convenient and affordable alternative to traditional highway travel. Commuters in Elgin and the northwest suburbs can utilize the I-90 express route options available to bypass traffic on the "Flex Lane" of I-90 between the Elgin-based park-n-ride locations and Schaumburg's Northwest Transportation Center and the Rosemont Transit Center, with a connection to the CTA Blue Line and O'Hare Airport.

A ride to O'Hare for less than $3? Not in a taxi or TNC! But that's how much you'd pay by riding Pace Express to the CTA Blue Line at Rosemont and making the quick ride to O'Hare's terminals.

Level up your commute by playing Pace's I-90 flex lane game!

Level Up Your Commute is a custom interactive web game that allows you, the participant to engage while navigating along the Pace I-90 express route. Players navigate I-90 traffic, dodging cars and switching lanes to reach Rosemont. Entering the Express Lane transforms your car into a Pace I-90 Express bus, unlocking the fastest route to victory and revealing that riding Pace lets you win in real life, too.

Pace operates many express routes on Chicagoland expressways which can bypass traffic either on the shoulder or in designated "Flex Lanes" like the I-90 Express route.

The I-90 Flex Lanes are part of the Illinois Tollway’s Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) SmartRoad system. Pace buses can use these lanes, located along inside/left-hand side shoulders of the road when congestion slows traffic. When buses can travel in this Flex Lane, it helps to provide more reliable transit service for Pace's customers. The Flex Lanes can also be used by first responders for emergency purposes like any other expressway shoulder. Pace bus operations in this corridor are closely coordinated with the Tollway’s traffic operations center.

The I-90 Express route is a convenient and efficient alternative to traditional highway travel. Commuters in Elgin can utilize the I-90 express route options available, such as the Elgin-based park-n-ride locations (Barrington Road, IL-25 & Randall Road) and corresponding I-90 express routes.

Map of I-90 Express Route

Image of the I-90 Pace Express Route corridor map

Bus routes operating in the I-90 corridor

ROUTE 600

ROUTE 603

ROUTE 605

ROUTE 606

ROUTE 607

Park and ride locations available to you

I-90/Randall Road Park-n-Ride

I-90/IL 25 Park-n-Ride

I-90/Barrington Rd Park-n-Ride

Other express routes on Chicagoland expressways that can bypass traffic on the shoulder

Similarl to the I-90 Flex Lanes operated on the Illinois Tollway's Jane Adams Memorial Tollway, the Pace Bus-on-Shoulder services are operated along IDOT-maintained expressways. The Stevenson Expressway (I-55) features inside/left-hand side shoulders wide enough for buses to safely operate. IDOT has also implemented outside/right-hand side Bus-on-Shoulder lanes along the Edens Expressway (I-94). Both allow Pace buses to bypass congestion and offer a competitive alternative to the personal automobile. Certain restrictions apply for Pace buses using the shoulders of I-55 and I-94:

The bus can use the shoulder only when general traffic slows to less than 35 mph
The bus cannot travel faster than 35 mph while on the shoulder and cannot travel more than 15 mph faster than general traffic
If the shoulder has obstructions, such as a stalled car or snow, the bus does not use the shoulder

The term "Express"

Many Pace routes use the term "express" in their name, and not all of them use a shoulder or Flex Lane of an expressway. That term "express" generally refers to bus routes that have limited stops and use an expressway for much or all of their routing. A route's fare classification does not correlate to whether it is termed an "express" route or not. Express routes connect passengers to a variety of convenient access points for both drivers and transit users, which include Pace transit centers, stations, park-n-ride lots and CTA facilities.