New express bus service from Plainfield to Chicago
NEW EXPRESS BUS SERVICE DEBUTS NOVEMBER 30
November 18, 2009
(According to a Pace press release) With the region’s expressways and tollways among the nation’s most congested, commuters seeking relief will have a new option they can be grateful for just after the Thanksgiving holiday- thedebut of new and expanded Pace Express Bus Service. Three new routes and the expansion of anotherthat’s already in service will mean additional options for those looking for alternatives to the high costand stress of traveling by car.
Route 655 Bolingbrook to Schaumburg Express will operate weekday rush hours between thePace Bolingbrook Park-n-Ride on Old Chicago Road and the Pace Northwest Transportation Center in Schaumburg via I-355 with intermediate stops in Downers Grove, Addison, and Itasca, with the latter two offering Park-n-Ride lots.
Route 755 Plainfield – UIC will operate weekday rush hours between a new Park-n-Ride lot adjacent to the Plainfield Village Hall and the University of Illinois Chicago Circle Campus via I-55 with intermediate stops at the Pace Bolingbrook Park-n-Ride on Old Chicago Road, the CTA Orange Line Ashland Station, and the Polk/Ashland intersection near the medical district.
Route 855 I-55 Flyer is an existing route that will be expanded to operate select trips to and from the new Park-n-Ride adjacent to the Plainfield Village Hall. The route also serves Pace Park-n-Ride lots in Romeoville, Bolingbrook, and Burr Ridge, and travels to North Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago via I-55.
Route 889 Harvey-Blue Island-Rosemont Express will operate weekday rush hours between the Harvey Transportation Center and the CTA Blue Line Rosemont station via I-294 with courtesy stops in Harvey, Calumet Park, Blue Island, and Alsip.
Each route will cost riders Pace’s $4.00 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.
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. “There is a very big market for this service in Plainfield and our surrounding communities. We are thrilled that Pace listened to the residents’ desires to create this route from Plainfield to Chicago which will provide more access to public transportation,” said Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross, who urged the creation of Route 755 and enhancement of Route 855. Other 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 tobe higher than regional averages.
The routes are funded by a combination of federal Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) grant funding, and the RTA’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. “There is a considerable demand for travel along each of these routes, as evidenced by the high amount of traffic congestion on these highways,” said Kwasneski. “We will work to develop this market and build for future implementation of shoulder riding and other aspects of bus rapid transit on these corridors, which will offer an even greater time savings for commuters.”
More information, including routing and timetables, is available at www.pacebus.com.
cash surcharge.
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. “There is a very big market for this service in Plainfield and our surrounding communities. We are thrilled that Pace listened to the residents’ desires to create this route from Plainfield to Chicago which will provide more access to public transportation,” said Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross, who urged the creation of Route 755 and enhancement of Route 855. Other 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 tobe higher than regional averages.
The routes are funded by a combination of federal Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) grant funding, and the RTA’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. “There is a considerable demand for travel along each of these routes, as evidenced by the high amount of traffic congestion on these highways,” said Kwasneski. “We will work to develop this market and build for future implementation of shoulder riding and other aspects of bus rapid transit on these corridors, which will offer an even greater time savings for commuters.”
More information, including routing and timetables, is available at www.pacebus.com.
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