Pace 2024 Budget released to RTA for approval
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL – At today’s meeting of the Pace Board of Directors, staff provided an exciting update about Pace’s recommended trip planning app, Transit, which offers trip planning and real-time travel information for transit riders in Northeastern Illinois. The agency partnered with Transit to launch Pace’s Mobility as a Service (MaaS) pilot program in November 2022. The mobile app initially provided trip planning information for Pace, CTA, and Metra’s fixed-route services, as well as a free upgrade to Transit’s Royale subscription for all Pace passengers.
Subsequent updates to the app have incorporated Pace Connect and Pace VanGo services. Since July 2023, the Transit app has helped direct commuters to the Metra and CTA stations that use VanGo — Pace’s reservation-based, roundtrip vanpool service that connects riders between stations and workplaces within a five-mile radius. Anyone can download the app on the Google Play or App stores by visiting Transit’s website. The Pace Connect option appears in the Transit app’s trip plan results when relevant to a user’s intended destination.
Today, the Pace Board applauded the successful incorporation of Pace On Demand services into the app. With the inclusion of these additional services, Pace has enhanced mobility in the region and created a seamless trip planning experience across services with easier booking and coordination between service options. Future plans for the app include the integration of regional ADA Paratransit services.
“With the latest update, our mobile app now can help our Pace riders comprehensively plan their public transportation trips, whether they’re taking a bus, train, van, or a rideshare to reach their destination,” said Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger. “Our continued technological investments are helping our riders more easily access all of Pace’s services in one central location.”
Also at today’s meeting, the Pace Board of Directors formally adopted the agency’s 2024 budget following eight regional public hearings. The budget is balanced with no proposed fare increases or service reductions.
The Suburban Services operating budget totals nearly $333.3 million. The budgeted regional ADA Paratransit expenses total just under $248.9 million and Pace’s 2024 capital program totals $118.5 million. The budget includes funding for the electrification of Pace’s North Division in Waukegan, Pulse 95th and Pulse Halsted service development, Project Zero initiatives, a network revitalization study (ReVision), and free Pace fixed route bus fares for certified ADA Paratransit customers.
The final Pace budget will be submitted to the RTA for review and approval by the RTA Board of Directors in the regional budget, along with the budgets of CTA and Metra. The RTA Board is scheduled to approve the regional budget in December to complete the annual budget process.
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Pace Suburban Bus safely and efficiently moves people to work, school, and other regional destinations with its family of public transportation services. Pace offers affordable and environmentally responsible transit options for the residents of 274 municipalities in Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties. The backbone of Chicago's suburbs, Pace serves tens of thousands of daily riders. One of the largest bus services in North America, Pace covers 3,677 square miles, an area nearly the size of the state of Connecticut and about 15 times the size of the City of Chicago. Pace's innovative approach to public transportation gives the agency a national reputation as an industry leader.
