Wheaton onboard with Ride DuPage

Wheaton seniors and the disabled soon will have greater flexibility when it comes to getting rides around the county.

Starting March 1, the city will join Milton Township and Glen Ellyn in providing a Ride DuPage program for residents.

Milton/Glen Ellyn/Wheaton Ride DuPage Partners will use paratransit buses and taxi service to make door-to-door pickups available to seniors and persons with disabilities 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"It gives us a better connected system than every town doing their own thing," said Susan Wallace, Wheaton's special project assistant.

Ride DuPage will replace Wheaton's city-subsidized Pilot II taxi service program, which last year provided more than 300 rides to about 38 people. Officials say they expect the switch to increase ridership.

"We know there are people out there," Wallace said. "If it's more convenient for you to use it, you'll use it more."

Ride DuPage also is expected to give people a wider range of services. For example, wheelchair-accessible buses are available.

During this week's council meeting, Wheaton resident Georgia Cawley praised the city's decision to participate.

"I am on the bus constantly going places - to the doctor, to the park district, shopping," said Cawley, who has been disabled since 1995. "This Ride DuPage program is really important to keep the paratransit available for everybody."

By entering in a partnership, officials said Wheaton and Glen Ellyn will be able to share in a roughly $151,000 subsidy that Milton Township receives from Pace, the suburban bus agency.

Exactly how much Wheaton will have to contribute is based on the number of people who use it. The city's share for the first year of the program is estimated at between $46,795 and $85,904.

Ride DuPage customers are charged based on the number of miles of their trip. After paying a base fee of $1, the riders pay an additional $1-per-mile fee.

Registration is expected to begin soon. For details, contact Wallace at (630) 260-2064.