Pace Bus unveils three new routes

Chicago-based Pace Bus will debut its new and expanded Pace Express Bus Service on Nov. 30. Three new routes will be added and another route that’s already in service will be expanded.

While Pace identified the development of suburb-to-suburb and suburb-to-city commuting via area highways and tollways in its long-range plans, such as Vision 2020, the agency received valuable information from elected officials regarding where residents of these areas work.

Elected officials from the south suburbs, including U.S. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., encouraged the development of Route 889 to provide direct transit access to the employment centers in the northwest suburbs for residents of areas where unemployment tends to be higher than regional averages.

The routes are funded by a combination of federal Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) grant funding and the Regional Transit Authority’s Innovation, Coordination, Enhancement (ICE) Program funds. Both sources are project-based, meaning the funds cannot be reallocated into other parts of the Pace operating budget to forego possible service reductions contained in the agency’s 2010 budget.

Each route will cost riders Pace’s $4 express fare. Pace also sells the 10-Ride Plus Premium Ticket, offering eleven rides for the price of ten. Other tickets and passes can be used, but may require a cash surcharge.