Lake in the Hills to cut ties with Dial-a-Ride service

Lake in the Hills will end its partnership with Pace's Dial-a-Ride bus service for disabled and senior residents, citing high costs and a dropping number of riders.

In October, village officials began discussions about whether to renew their contract with Pace for 2008, Village Administrator Gerald Sagona said.

"It's something that's been on our radar for a long time, though," Sagona said.

Operational changes and cost increases left the village paying roughly $2,500 to $3,300 per month, Sagona said. With an average of seven riders using the service each day, costs came out at more than $20 per rider.

"I'd have to question what a taxi service would net," he said.

Because Algonquin and Grafton Township now provide overlapping service to Lake in the Hills, village officials aren't worried about leaving residents in the lurch.

"The service times might be a little different than ours were," Sagona said, noting residents can still get rides to the same local malls, train stations and medical facilities as before.

Trudy Wakeman, director of the village's parks and recreation department, organizes frequent outings for seniors. "I've only heard of one complaint (of the service being cut)," she said.

The parks and recreation department, Wakeman said, plans to increase local outings for seniors to combat the service cuts.