By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Pace Suburban Bus on Wednesday unveiled a draft plan to increase suburban bus service by 50 percent across its six-county region, the most sweeping redesign of the agency’s network in decades.
The ReVision Draft Plan calls for expanded frequency, later evening service and new routes that reflect changed travel patterns since the pandemic, according to a Pace press release. Public comment on the plan runs through Dec. 11.
The proposal would boost service across Pulse rapid transit lines, fixed routes and On Demand zones. Every county in Pace’s service area would receive at least a 45 percent increase in service, the press release said.
“ReVision is about building a suburban transit network that gives more people a practical and reliable way to reach jobs, schools, health care, and the other destinations that matter in their daily lives,” Pace Chairperson John Noak said in the press release.
The plan is made possible by new funding under the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act, which created a regional transit governance structure that replaced the Regional Transportation Authority on Sept. 1. Regional transit revenues are forecast to grow by more than $900 million per year from 2025 to 2028, and an investment of $150 million per year in suburban bus service would fund the proposed 50 percent increase, according to the plan’s executive summary.
Under the proposal, routes along corridors such as Touhy Road, Mannheim Road and West 79th Street would see service upgraded to every 15 minutes or better. Basic routes would run every 30 minutes, and nearly every all-day route would operate seven days a week, with most running until 9:30 p.m.
The plan addresses a longstanding gap in weekend and evening service. Historically, Pace provided far less service on Saturdays and Sundays than on weekdays, particularly outside Cook County. The draft plan proposes standardized, frequency-based service spans across the entire region.
“Travel patterns have changed, and fewer people commute downtown every day,” Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger said in the press release. “Public input and ridership trends show growing demand for nontraditional transit trips — and when we increase frequency and make our service faster, ridership grows.”
NITA Interim Executive Director Jamie Rhee endorsed the proposal’s ambition.
“Pace’s ReVision plan aims to put funding from the NITA Act to work in a way that riders will really feel,” Rhee said in the press release. “A 50 percent increase in service is the kind of change that will make transit trips faster and more reliable for current riders — and that will make transit a more appealing choice for all residents of the region.”
Pace’s service area covers 3,450 square miles and about 5.7 million residents across Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. Despite that scale, the agency has historically received less than 10 percent of regional public funding for transit, according to the plan’s executive summary.
The draft plan also includes short-term improvements Pace could pursue in 2027 in partnership with NITA, CTA and Metra while broader regional planning continues.
Residents can review the plan and submit feedback at PaceBus.com/ReVision, attend a virtual open house on Nov. 18 from 6 to 7 p.m., or visit one of several pop-up events across the suburbs through November.
Source: Pace Suburban Bus News
