Thirty years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush. The historic 1990 civil rights law had far-reaching impacts for people with disabilities, their families, their caregivers, and the communities they live in.
One such impact was making sure that public transportation systems provided equal access to transit service for everyone in their service area. Pace is proud to meet and exceed this mandate with a wide range of service for people with disabilities. Our entire fixed-route bus fleet is accessible, and for those who can’t always ride fixed-route buses, one of the nation’s largest paratransit networks provides affordable and safe service to all destinations served by our suburban routes. Since 2006, Pace has also provided ADA Paratransit service to residents of the City of Chicago. Our system has evolved over time, with innovations like TAP, TripCheck, and Pace OnDemand—as well as partnerships with local governments and nonprofits—continuing to improve residents’ mobility. Our policies go above and beyond what the law calls for in terms of communication with riders, service standards, and website accessibility.
Thanks to the ADA, Americans with disabilities are afforded many of the same options and opportunities as their neighbors, including access to public transportation. Pace remains committed to working with people with disabilities and to furthering the goals of this law with every action we take.