Pace’s Ride-in-Kane program could be expanded

Pace’s Ride-in-Kane program will likely not only live for another year but see growth and expansion in the future, according to action taken by a Kane County Board Committee Tuesday.

The program provides public transportation to about 5,000 local senior citizens and people with disabilities. That resulted in about 110,000 trips last year. The county typically merges funds with several local townships, municipalities and nonprofit groups to provide 50 percent of the money to cover program costs. Federal grants cover the other half of the cost. This year, the local share is about $1.36 million. Kane County’s share of that cost is $110,000. Locally, Aurora Township shoulders the biggest cost burden for the program with a contribution of about $366,000.

County transportation staff told the committee the Ride-in-Kane program is very popular and successful on a local level. But perhaps the highest praise came from county board member Mike Donahue who’s been the most vocal skeptic of Pace’s suburban bus operations. Donahue said he and County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay recently met with Pace officials.

Donahue said he discussed a slightly different call-in version of the Ride-in-Kane program with Pace that would be accessible to all county residents, not just seniors and the disabled. Donahue said he supports Ride-in-Kane, but believes some modifications would make fare box recovery of the program costs reap more money.

County board member Melisa Taylor expressed some skepticism about any public transportation system involving buses ever being truly accessible to all county residents because of the county’s geography.

“Once you move out into the rural areas it’s a whole different dollar amount, and that limits the participation,” Taylor said.

The county’s $110,000 contribution still needs approval of the full county board before becoming final.