Pace Announces Public Hearings for 2023 Budget

Pace Announces Public Hearings for 2023 Budget
Proposed budget includes a fully funded operational plan, strong capital program, and no fare increase
As Pace moves towards historic capital infrastructure improvements, service innovations, and ridership recovery, the agency is pleased to propose a balanced 2023 budget for community input at a series of public hearings between October 20 and October 28. The hearings, a mix of in-person and virtual events, will present a fully funded operational budget for fixed route and Paratransit service and a strong capital program.
There are no fare increases included in the proposed budget. In fact, Pace plans to make it even more affordable to use public transportation. Building on 2022 price decreases, which included lower Pace/CTA pass prices, a lower Vanpool Fare for riders who commute less than 5 days per week, and a new Pace/CTA/Metra Regional Connect Pass, Pace proposes to eliminate transfer costs for riders who transfer from one regular Pace route to another and to lower other transfer costs.
Pace is also partnering with CTA on new money-saving 1-day and 3-day passes that allow unlimited rides on both services. While previously waived Taxi Access Program (TAP) and DuPage Uber Access Program fares will be reinstated, they will remain lower (proposed at $2) than the original $3.
Pace also proposes investing significant resources into the electrification of the agency’s North Division in Waukegan, which will be the foundational project for electrifying the whole region and bringing the agency closer to their goal of a zero-emission bus fleet by 2040.
This budget proposal also removes uncertainty about the fate of 69 fixed routes that have not operated since spring of 2020. Those suspended routes are proposed to be formally eliminated with the adoption of the 2023 budget, with the goal of reallocating that funding into more productive and useful services through next year’s bus route network revitalization initiative.
That work will create a plan for creating new service and modifying some existing service to better serve current commuter needs. “We understand that, for some, the routes as they existed in 2019 worked just fine, and change can be difficult. But our upcoming initiative involves a genuine effort to listen to the needs of riders, potential new riders, and other stakeholders to come up with services that work well for even greater numbers of people. At the end of that work, we hope our newly devised service options will carry more people and offer more options than those routes we propose to eliminate here,” said Executive Director Melinda Metzger.
Members of the public who wish to provide comments on Pace’s proposed 2023 budget may do so by attending the in-person hearings; registering for the virtual hearings; submitting comments online via Pace’s Public Hearing Feedback webpage or by email to Public.Hearings@PaceBus.com; calling (847) 354-7943; or by sending comments via mail to Pace, Community Relations Department, 550 W. Algonquin Rd., Arlington Heights, IL 60005-4412. All comments must be received by 5:00 pm on Friday, October 28, 2022.
The 2023 budget information will be available after October 19, 2022, on Pace’s website at https://www.pacebus.com/budgets, at most public libraries, township, city, and village offices in the six county Pace region, and at Pace, 550 West Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005.
Individuals with disabilities who plan to view a virtual public hearing and who require accommodations other than transportation, and individuals who require translation into a language other than English to allow them to view and/or participate are requested to contact Pace at (847) 364-7223, option 3, no less than five business days prior to the scheduled hearing.
With a focus on equity for all people of northeastern Illinois, a dedication to improve our environment, and ensuring efficient use of taxpayer resources, Pace truly believes this budget begins a positive evolution of the agency and the services it provides.
Pace 2023 Budget Public Hearing Schedule
Click the links for any of the virtual hearings below for details on how to register to speak at a hearing or how to livestream the hearing in listen-only mode.

Public Hearing

DuPage County
Thursday
October 20, 2022
4:00 PM
DuPage County Admin. Building Room 3500B
421 N. County Farm Rd. Wheaton, IL 60187

Cook County
Friday
October 21, 2022
11:00 AM
Virtual

McHenry County
Friday
October 21, 2022
4:30 PM
Crystal Lake City Hall Council Chambers 100 W. Woodstock St. Crystal Lake, IL 60014

Kane County
Monday
October 24, 2022
4:00 PM
Kane County Government Center Auditorium
719 S. Batavia Avenue
Geneva, IL 60134

City of Chicago
Tuesday
October 25, 2022
5:00 PM
Virtual

Will County
Wednesday
October 26, 2022
12:00 PM
Virtual

Lake County
Thursday
October 27, 2022
3:00 PM
Virtual

Cook County
Friday
October 28, 2022
2:00 PM
Howard Mohr Community Center 7640 Jackson Boulevard
Forest Park, IL 60130

Pace Suburban Bus safely and efficiently moves people to work, school, and other regional destinations with its family of public transportation services. Pace offers affordable and environmentally responsible transit options for the residents of 274 municipalities in Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties. The backbone of Chicago’s suburbs, Pace serves tens of thousands of daily riders. One of the largest bus services in North America, Pace covers 3,677 square miles, an area nearly the size of the state of Connecticut and about 15 times the size of the City of Chicago. Pace’s innovative approach to public transportation gives the agency a national reputation as an industry leader.