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| Parent | Regional Transportation Authority |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984; 42 years ago (1984) |
| Headquarters | Arlington Heights, Illinois |
| Locale | Northeastern Illinois |
| Service area | Cook,Lake,Will,Kane,McHenry, andDuPage Counties |
| Service type | Transit,Bus,Paratransit |
| Routes | 134 |
| Fleet | 733 fixed-route buses 401 Vanpools 11 On Demand services 1,230 Paratransit vehicles 37 Dial-a-Ride services[1] |
| Daily ridership | 81,800 (weekdays, Q3 2025)[2] |
| Annual ridership | 20,085,800 (2024)[3] |
| Fuel type | CNG,Battery-electric,Diesel,Diesel-Electric Hybrid |
| Executive Director | Melinda Metzger |
| Website | pacebus.com |
Pace Suburban Bus (Pace) is a public transit agency serving suburban communities in theChicago metropolitan area in Illinois, United States. Pace also is the sole paratransit provider in northeastern Illinois, operating one of the largest paratransit services in the United States for riders with disabilities.[4] In 2025, Pace reported ridership of approximately 16.4 million, reflecting 67% of pre-pandemic ridership recovery.[5]
Pace is one of the three service boards financially supported by theRegional Transportation Authority, created by the Regional Transportation Authority Act of 1983. The three service boards, including Pace,Metra, andthe Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). The law, in part, unified disparate suburban bus agencies that existed at the time and established the formula that provides funding to the service boards, which make up the transit network in northeastern Illinois.[4]
Today, Pace’s family of services provides transit options for residents living in 274 municipalities located throughoutCook,DuPage,Kane,Lake,McHenry, andWill counties. As one of the largest bus providers in North America, Pace covers 3,677 square miles, an area that is about 15 times the size of theCity of Chicago, serving approximately 127,000 daily riders.[4]
Pace is headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and the agency is governed by a 13-member Board of Directors, 12 of which are current and former suburban mayors who represent their respective communities in the northeastern Illinois region. The remaining director is the Commissioner of the Chicago Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, who represents theCity of Chicago's paratransit riders.[6]
Pace serves the northeastern Illinois region, which includes Cook County (where the City of Chicago is located), as well as the region's collar counties, which include DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. Some of Pace's bus routes also serve parts of Chicago andNorthwest Indiana. In some areas, notablyEvanston,River Forest,Oak Park,Cicero, andSkokie, both Pace and the CTA provide bus service.
Many of Pace's route terminals are located at CTA rail stations and bus terminals andMetra stations. The CTA and Pace have shared a payment system since 2014 calledVentra. Ventra accounts are required to obtain transfers.[7] In 2015, Metra was added to the Ventra app.[8]
Pace buses generally have longer bus routes than CTA buses. Due to its large geographic service area, service is provided by nine operating divisions (see below), as well as under agreements with several municipalities and private operators (school bus and motor coach companies).
Pace operates fixed bus routes throughout the northeastern Illinois region, covering a vast and diverse area in urban, suburban, and exurban communities. Many Pace bus routes run daily, seven days a week. Other routes run Mondays through Saturdays, only on weekdays, or only during weekday rush hours. For complete information on routes and schedules, visit thePace website.[9]
To meet riders’ evolving public transportation needs, Pace established a new bus rapid transit service called Pulse, beginning with the launch of the agency’s Pulse Milwaukee Line in 2019.
The Pulse program delivers fast and frequent fixed-route bus service to riders, enhanced on-board amenities, and a streamlined route design in some of the most populated corridors in the region. Pulse continues to grow with new lines being finalized for the southern suburbs of northeastern Illinois.[10]
On August 11, 2019, Pace officially launched Pulse, a new rapid transit service that began with the Pulse Milwaukee Line. The line operates between the Jefferson Park Transit Center and Golf Mill Shopping Center in the northwest suburbs. The Pulse line overlaps with a part of Pace Route 270, which saw a reduction in service frequency after Pulse Milwaukee began.[11]
Pace's second Pulse line, Pulse Dempster, launched in 2023, operating along Dempster Street and serving communities likeEvanston,Skokie, andDes Plaines in the northwest suburbs. The line promises to take riders from Evanston to its terminal location atO'Hare International Airport in 50 minutes with buses arriving every 15 minutes thanks to the innovative use ofTransit Signal Priority (TSP) technology.[12]
The Pulse Dempster Line inaugural run was on August 13, 2023, with a full launch on October 29, 2023.[13] The route connects to theChicago "L" with theCTA Purple Line'sDavis station and theCTA Yellow Line'sDempster–Skokie station. It also connects toMetra stations atEvanston Davis Street on theUnion Pacific North Line andDes Plaines on theUnion Pacific Northwest Line.
Pace is currently developing projects for additional Pulse lines in the southern suburbs, including Pulse Cermak, Pulse Halsted, and Pulse 95th Street. The proposed Pulse Cermak Line is undergoing preliminary design work, including station identification and public outreach.
In addition, major regional corridors, including Harlem, Touhy, Western, and North avenues, are included in Pace’s near-term Pulse priority corridor network. Routing, station locations, and other transit access improvements will be developed in the future. These corridors were selected to build upon existing ridership and provide competitive mobility and connectivity for those living and working along existing and future Pulse lines.[10]
Pace operates many routes on expressways throughout northeastern Illinois. These expressway-based routes allow Pace buses to bypass traffic either on the shoulders of the expressways or in designated flex lanes. Pace partners with theIllinois Department of Transportation and theIllinois Tollway to provide express service, providing Pace riders with special benefits without expensive infrastructure projects.[14]
Pace currently operates three expressway-based routes with work underway to add a fourth express bus service along I-290/I-88 that would connect riders in the western suburbs of the region to the City of Chicago.[15]
Due to a change in Illinois law, Pace implemented bus-on-shoulder service in 2011 along theStevenson Expressway (I-55) as part of a multi-year demonstration project. In 2014, theIllinois General Assembly and theIllinois Governor enacted legislation that permanently allowed bus-on-shoulder service and expanded the transit option to all expressways and tollways within northeastern Illinois.[14]
Since 2011, Pace has expanded its service along the I-55 corridor several times. Most recently, Pace established a pilot program in August 2024 to expand weekday service along many routes that make up the I-55 Express service. The response from riders has allowed Pace to propose making the service expansion permanent.[16] In fact, service along the I-55 corridor saw a 7.7 percent increase in year-over-year ridership from January 2024 to January 2025.[17]
In December 2016, Pace began offering I-90 Express service along theJane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), providing express service betweenRosemont Transportation Center and Elgin. The service uses "flex lanes" located along the lefthand side shoulders of the road when traffic congestion slows speeds. Pace coordinates closely with the Illinois Tollway when deciding to use flex lanes, which also are available for regular emergency purposes.[14]
As part of the Illinois Tollway’s Central Tri-State construction project, flex lanes will be constructed along theTri-State Tollway (I-294), allowing Pace to expand its use of expressway-based routes to more areas in northeastern Illinois.[14]
In April 2018, Pace launched bus-on-shoulder operations on theEdens Expressway (I-94), serving riders in the northwest suburbs and providing commuters from Chicago and North Shore communities with additional access to reach jobs within theLake Cook Road corridor.[18]
Since 2006, Pace has been responsible for providing regionalADAparatransit service throughout northeastern Illinois, including the region's six counties and the City of Chicago.[19]
Paratransit service is required by the federalAmericans with Disabilities Act and is provided for customers whose disability or health condition prevents them from using CTA and/or Pace fixed-route services for some or all of their travel. Trips are only provided at the same times and within the same geographic areas as fixed-route service. Riders with disabilities also have access to other reservation-based services and Pace’s fixed-route service, which includes free fares for ADA certified riders. Pace buses also are completely equipped and accessible to people with disabilities.[20]
In recent years, Pace has introduced an easier trip-planning program for ADA certified riders. The TripCheck mobile app allows riders with disabilities to track rides, and view and cancel reservations without the need to call in advance. It also is available in English, Spanish, and Polish.[21]
Pace also coordinates various dial-a-ride services. Dozens of Pace demand-response programs operate throughout the suburbs of northeastern Illinois, including county-wide services and local dial-a-rides. In most cases, Pace has a financial partnership with a county, city, or township to pay for and operate the service. These demand-response programs have different rules on fares, geographic boundaries, and passenger eligibility.[22]
For more than 30 years, the Pace Vanpool Incentive Program allows a group of commuters to share a van, save money, and travel together to work and reduce the number of vehicles on the road as a result. The program is available to commuters throughout the six counties of northeastern Illinois.[23]
Vanpool riders pay a low monthly fare to Pace based on distance, participant frequency, and group size. Pace offers flexible vanpool fares for hybrid, reduced work weeks, and regular work shifts. Riders can increase their savings by inviting more commuters to join, becoming backup drivers, or applying for a tax-free commuter benefit or employer subsidy.[23]
In 2022, Pace launched a new vanpool alternative, called VanGo, allowing commuters to reserve a van for a day to get to work and travel locations within a defined zone based around train stations in the region. VanGo provides another means for commuters without access to a personal vehicle to travel to and from their jobs from the train station, go out for lunch on breaks, and complete other trips within the defined zone. There are currently four VanGo zones near train stations in Deerfield, Itasca and Rosemont, Lake Forest, and Palatine.[24]
Under the Municipal Vanpool Program, Pace provides a van to a municipality for anypublic transportation purpose (such as demand response service forsenior citizens).[25]
Pace owns 12 facilities, including nine bus garages, also called operating divisions, as well as an ADA Paratransit Office in the City of Chicago and its headquarters in Arlington Heights.[26]
In summer 2024, Pace formally opened its South Campus inMarkham, Illinois, which includes administrative offices and a state-of-the-art bus acceptance facility for admitting and testing new vehicles to its fleet.[27]
| Operating Division | Garage Location | Areas Served |
|---|---|---|
| Fox Valley | North Aurora | Aurora and Naperville areas |
| Heritage | Plainfield | Will County, Joliet, and southwest suburbs |
| North | Waukegan | Lake County |
| North Shore | Evanston | North Cook County and southeast Lake County |
| Northwest | Des Plaines | Northwest Cook County |
| River | Elgin | Greater Elgin Area and far western suburbs |
| South | Markham | South Cook County, South Side of Chicago, and DuPage County |
| Southwest | Bridgeview | Southwest Cook County and South Side of Chicago |
| West | Melrose Park | West Cook County and DuPage County |
| Photos | Year | Manufacturer & Model | Engine Type | Numbers | Engines | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 2006-2009 | EZ-Rider II MAX 30 | Diesel | 2600-2766 | Cummins ISB | Allison B300R |
| 2010 | 2767-2825 | Cummins ISB6.7 | ||||
| 2011 | EZ-Rider II BRT 32 | 2826-2828 | ||||
| 2829 | Navistar International MaxxForce 9 | |||||
| Orion VII EPA10 (07.503) HEV | Diesel-electric (Hybrid) | 2830-2831 | Cummins ISB6.7 | BAE Systems HybriDrive hybrid system | ||
| 2014–2015 | MCI D4000CT | Diesel | 6950-6971 | Cummins ISL9 | Allison B500 | |
| 2017 | 6972-6979 | Cummins ISX12 | ||||
| 2012–2016 | ENC Axess BRT 40 | 6323-6575, 12401 | Cummins ISL9 | Allison B400R | ||
| 2017-2018 | 6700-6786 | Cummins L9 | ||||
| 2012 | ENC Axess BRT 35 | 12402 | Cummins ISL9 | |||
| 2015–2017 | ENC Axess BRT 40 | CNG | 15500-15520, 17500-17571 | Cummins Westport ISL G | ||
| 2018–2020 | 18500-18510, 20500-20505 | Cummins Westport L9N | ||||
 | 2020 | New Flyer Xcelsior XD40 | Diesel | 20400-20485 | Cummins L9 | |
| ENC Axess BRT 30 | 20300-20322 | Allison B300R | ||||
 | Gillig Low Floor EV 40 | Electric | 20700 | |||
| 2022 | ENC Axess BRT 30 | Diesel | 22300-22344 | Cummins L9 | Allison B300R |
Authority control databases: National |
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