‘More places, less time’: Pace unveils ambitious plan to boost suburban bus service by 50%
A 50% spike in bus service across the region is among the goals in Pace’s bold ReVision plan that promises travel to “more places, (in) less time.”
The suburban bus agency debuted a draft report at a Wednesday board meeting, estimating the upgrades could cost about $150 million more in annual operating expenses.
“This ambitious plan puts more service where and when people need it while strengthening connections to CTA and Metra across the region,” Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger said in a statement.
The aim is to increase ridership with more frequent buses and a reduction of transit deserts in far-flung communities from rural McHenry to south suburban Cook counties.
That means every county in Pace’s service area would receive at least a 45% increase in service, officials said.
Other priorities include 50% growth on fixed routes, Pace Pulse lines on corridors like the Dempster Street Line and Cermak/22nd Street Line, and On-Demand service.
Key improvements include doubling suburban bus service on Saturdays and tripling it on Sundays; increasing route frequency to every 15 minutes on major routes like Touhy Road and every 30 minutes on a number of busy corridors; and extending bus routes to enable more direct travel to popular destinations like O’Hare and Midway international airports.
“Travel patterns have changed, and fewer people commute downtown every day,” Metzger said. “Public input and ridership trends show growing demand for nontraditional transit trips — and when we increase frequency and make our service faster, ridership grows.”
If the draft is approved, Pace predicts suburban riders will be able to access 82% more jobs, 73% more stores and 66% more schools.
Among other highlights:
• Expanding routes to provide more direct trips to locations such as the two airports, Hawthorn and Woodfield malls, Oakbrook Center, and Loyola University Medical Center/Edward Hines Jr. VA Medical Center.
• Offering buses every 15 minutes or faster on Cook County corridors including Touhy Road, Central Avenue/Niles Center Road, Algonquin Road, Mannheim Road, 1st/5th Avenue, West 79th Street, Cicero Avenue and the I-90 express between Elgin and Rosemont.
• Providing buses every 30 minutes on corridors such as Lewis Avenue and North Milwaukee Avenue in Lake County; Dundee Road, Oakton Street, 25th Street, and Torrence Avenue in Cook; the I-290/I-88 express service between Forest Park and Oak Brook; and on local routes in Aurora, Elgin, Joliet and Waukegan.
• Offering service every 60 minutes to Lombard, McHenry, Villa Park, West Chicago and Woodstock; on Crawford Avenue south of 183rd Street in Cook; and on Lincoln Highway between Joliet and Tinley Park.
• Expanding service in Elgin so each route would become a two-way system in both directions instead of a loop.
Plans for ReVision began in 2023 during a transit funding crisis. Pace surveyed riders on options such as running buses every 15 to 30 minutes seven days a week, and expanding routes across the suburbs, all of which would be contingent on additional revenues.
The money quandary was resolved with the Northern Illinois Transportation Authority going live Sept. 1. The new agency overseeing Metra, Pace and the CTA was created as a result of 2025 reform legislation that channeled a stream of gas and sales tax dollars to transit.
The additional $150 million would pay for additional drivers and maintenance staff, Pace said.
Pace is planning a series of in-person and virtual events through Dec. 10 on ReVision. For dates, details, and to complete a survey, visit pacebus.com.
After receiving public feedback, the plan will be submitted to NITA for consideration.
“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 Chair and Romeoville Mayor John Noak said in a statement.
mpyke@dailyherald.com