Pace (transit)

File:Pace Bus logo.svg
250px
Slogan	Connecting Communities
Founded	1983
Headquarters	Arlington Heights, Illinois
Locale	Northeastern Illinois
Service area	Cook, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry and DuPage Counties
Service type	Commuter, Paratransit
Routes	213
Fleet	701 buses 610 vans 366 owned vehicles in paratransit service 80 community vehicles
Fuel type	Diesel, Diesel-Electric, CNG
Executive Director	T.J. Ross
Website	www.pacebus.com

Pace is the suburban bus 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 CTA, Metra and Pace. In 2013, Pace had 39.925 million riders.

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.

The six counties that Pace serves are Cook, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry and DuPage. Some of Pace's buses also go to Chicago and Indiana. In some areas, notably Evanston, River Forest, Oak Park, 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 have shared a payment system since 2014 called Ventra. Ventra accounts are required to obtain transfers. Metra fares are completely separate, but a phone app is being developed that may allow Metra payment with Ventra.

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 Routes #282 & #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 Toyota Park in Bridgeview, and Route #238 for Northwestern University events at Ryan Field.

Pace is responsible for ADA paratransit service in its service area, and, effective July 1, 2006, for paratransit service in Chicago. Pace also coordinates various Dial-a-Ride projects, usually sponsored by various municipalities and townships. One of the largest is Ride DuPage, sponsored by Du Page County Human Services. 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.

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. 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).

Pace is not an acronym, but a marketing name.

In late 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.

During weekday rush hours, Pace buses are authorized to use the shoulder on the Stevenson Expressway.

The majority of Pace bus routes run daily, morning through early to late evening. Others run Monday through Saturday, weekdays only, or weekday rush hours only. The Brookfield Zoo Express bus route runs on weekends during summertime. One route, #352, runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Pace paratransit vehicle.

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
  

  2600 series bus at the Naperville Metra station.

Municipally supported shuttles and "trolley" services

• Downers Grove
• Oswego
• Schaumburg

Other major facilities

• South Holland Acceptance Facility
• McHenry Paratransit Facility

Bus Fleet

Year	Make & Model	Length	Engine Type	Numbers	Divisions	Notes
2000-2004	Orion VI	40 ft (12.19 m)	Diesel	6000-6161 (160 buses)	Northwest, Southwest, West	Currently Being Retired 6000-6154, 6156-6161 have flip-dot head signs 6155 has LED head sign
2002	MCI D4000N	40 ft (12.19 m)	Diesel	6900-6907 (8 buses)	Heritage	Used on routes #755, #850, #851 and #855 as part of peak-hour shoulder operations on I-55.
2003	NABI 40-LFW	40 ft (12.19 m)	Diesel	6162-6261 (99 buses)	North, North Shore, South, West
2003	NABI 35-LFW	35 ft (10.67 m)	Diesel	6600-6684 (84 buses)	North, River, South, West, Contractors
2005	NABI 40-LFW	40 ft (12.19 m)	Diesel	6262-6322 (60 buses)	North Shore, South, West
2006-2010	ElDorado National EZ-Rider II	30 ft (9.14 m)	Diesel	2600-2825 (223 buses)	River, Fox Valley, Southwest, North Shore, Northwest, Heritage, Village of Niles, Highland Park, Downers Grove, Contractors
2012	ElDorado National EZ-Rider II BRT	32 ft (9.75 m)	Diesel	2826-2829 (4 buses)	Fox Valley
2012	Orion VII "3rd Generation"	30 ft (9.14 m)	Diesel-Electric	2830-2831 (2 buses)	Highland Park	Painted in a non-standard Green colored livery.
2012-2014	ElDorado National Axess	40 ft (12.19 m)	Diesel	6323-6376, 6392-?	North Shore, Northwest, West	Delivery In Progress
2013	ElDorado National Axess Suburban	40 ft (12.19 m)	Diesel	6377-6391 (15 buses)	North Shore, River, South	Used mainly on routes #610, #877 and #888.
2014	MCI D4000CT	40 ft (12.19 m)	Diesel	6950-6962 (13 buses)	Heritage	Used on routes #755, #850, #851 and #855 as part of peak-hour shoulder operations on I-55.
On Order
2015	ElDorado National Axess	40 ft (12.19 m)	CNG	TBD (91 buses)	South	First CNG powered buses ordered by Pace.

• 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 (i.e. 6262-6322 consists of 60 buses, and there is no 6313).
• Buses delivered in 2005 or later feature the new Pace livery. Starting in 2014, buses delivered in 2003, began receiving the current livery.
• Some light routes operated with paratransit or community vehicles.

External links

• Pace Suburban Bus