PACE (TRANSIT)

'Pace' is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to CTA, Metra and Pace.
Pace's headquarters are in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Pace is governed by a 12 member Board of Directors comprised of current and former suburban mayors.
The six counties that Pace serves are Cook, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry and Du Page. Some of Pace's buses also go to Chicago and Indiana. In some areas, notably Evanston and Skokie, Pace and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) both serve the community.
Many of Pace's hubs are located at CTA rail stations (especially terminals) and Metra stations. CTA and Pace transit cards and passes are valid on both systems allowing seamless transfers. (However, since CTA no longer issues transfers with cash bus fares, it no longer accepts Pace transfers, either, but Pace transfers remain good between Pace routes.[1]) Metra fares are completely separate.
Pace buses generally have longer headways (often between 20 and 60 minutes) than CTA buses. Due to its broad geographic service area, service is provided by 9 operating divisions, as well as under agreements with several municipalities and private operators (school bus and motor coach companies).
All Pace buses are wheelchair accessible and have racks accommodating two bicycles, available during all hours of operation.
Pace buses provide service from the suburbs to various special events in the city, such as Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bears games, The Auto Show, and The Flower and Garden Show. Route 222 provides extra service to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont for events scheduled there, Route 284 to Six Flags Great America, and Route 386 for events at Toyota Park in Bridgeview.[2]
Pace is responsible for ADA paratransit service in its service area, and, effective July 1, 2006, for paratransit service in Chicago.[3] Pace also coordinates various Dial-a-Ride projects, usually sponsored by various municipalities and townships.[4] One of the largest is Ride DuPage, sponsored by Du Page County Human Services.[5]
Pace operates a Vanpool Incentive Program, where groups save by commuting together in a van owned and maintain by Pace and driven by one of the participants.[6] 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).[7]
Pace is not an acronym, but a marketing name.[8]
Pace's operating budget for suburban service is projected to be over $166,000,000 in 2007, plus about $91,400,000 for regional paratransit service.[9]

Contents

Operating divisions

Municipal operators

Municipally supported shuttles and "trolley" services

Other major facilities

Bus fleet

Notes

Abbreviations in the "Assigned" column

External links

Operating divisions

★ Fox Valley (North Aurora)

★ Heritage (Joliet)

★ North (Waukegan)

★ North Shore (Evanston)

★ Northwest (Des Plaines)

★ River (Elgin)

★ South (Markham)

★ Southwest (Bridgeview)

★ West (Melrose Park)

Municipal operators

★ Niles

★ Highland Park

Municipally supported shuttles and "trolley" services

★ Downers Grove--The Grove Commuter Shuttle,[10] independent, but included in the Pace budget for recovery ratio purposes [11]

★ Oak Park

★ Oswego

★ Schaumburg

Other major facilities

★ South Holland Acceptance Facility

★ McHenry Paratransit Facility

Bus fleet

SERIES	TYPE	YEARS	LENGTH	ASSIGNED	NOTES
1-7	Chance American Heritage Streetcar	2000	25'	C (ST)
2200-2271	Ikarus 416	1992	40'	W	1
2272-2291, 2378	Orion I	1993	35'	NS, NW, C
2292-2377	Orion I	1993	40'	N, NS, NW, S, C
2379-2400	Nova Classic	1997	40'	NS, SW, W
2401-2422, 2453	NABI 40 LFW	1999	40'	N, S
2423-2452	NABI 35 LFW	1999	35'	N, S
2600-2702	El Dorado EZ Rider II	2006-2007	30'	FV, HP, NI, NS, W, C	2, 3
6000-6161	Orion VI	2000-2004	40'	NW, SW, W
6162-6261	NABI 40 LFW	2003	40'	H, NS, S, W
6262-6322	NABI 40 LFW	2005	40'	NS, W	2
6600-6684	NABI 35 LFW	2003	35'	H, N, NS, R, S, C
6900-6907	MCI D4000	2002	40'	S

Notes

1. In process of being retired.
2. In the new blue livery.
3. Options for up to 222 buses.

★ Individual units in a series may be retired or out of service (also, a few units in mostly retired series, such as the 2000 series Orion Is and 2500 series ElDorado National Transmarks, might still be operating).

★ Individual units may be scattered among other divisions.

★ No buses with fleet numbers ending in 13 (i.e. 6262-6322 consists of 60 buses, and there is no 6313).

★ Some light routes operated with paratransit vehicles.

Abbreviations in the "Assigned" column

C	Contract Operators
FV	Fox Valley
H	Heritage
HP	Highland Park
N	North
NI	Niles
NS	North Shore
NW	Northwest
R	River
ST	Schaumburg Trolley (contract operated)
S	South
SW	Southwest
W	West

External links

★ Pace Suburban Bus website

★
★ Route Finder — Search by route number, community, division, contractor, landmark, or connecting CTA and Metra service.

★
★ Pace History & Facts

★
★ Pace locations

★ Bill Vandervoort's ''Chicago Transit and Railfan'' Pace page (unofficial enthusiast's site)

★ ChicagoBus.org Pace Suburban Bus Forum