[il-talk] Fw: Pace Moving Forward: November 11, 2011

[Robert A Hansen]

------Original Message------
From: Govt Affairs
To: Govt Affairs
Subject: Pace Moving Forward: November 11, 2011
Sent: Nov 11, 2011 3:40 PM

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Pace Moving Forward
Volume 8, Issue 22
November 11, 2011

Governor Attends Bus on Shoulder Event
Governor Quinn joined Pace Chairman of the Board Richard Kwasneski, state legislators, local and county elected officials and representatives from IDOT and RTA in a ceremony promoting the start of Bus on Shoulder service for Pace routes 755 and 855, which begins Monday, November 14.
The Governor was a steadfast supporter of the pilot program combining the efforts of Pace, IDOT and RTA, but showed particular interest in a new feature on the buses that will be used on the routes. "This program will give commuters a safe, reliable and convenient transportation alternative," Governor Quinn said. "The buses will help ease congestion and improve air quality while keeping riders connected and productive with free Wi-Fi." 
Not only will passengers save an estimated 15 or more minutes in travel time when buses use the shoulder, they'll also have a clearer picture of when they'll arrive at home in the evening. While virtually all other Pace fixed routes offer a published schedule for each direction of travel, routes 755 and 855 have had such inconsistent travel times on I-55 that scheduling an estimated arrival time was next to impossible and Pace could only list departure times from Chicago. The new schedule lists arrival times for each of the suburban Park-n-Rides.

Route 895: SW-NW Suburban Connection
Beginning November 21, there's a new way for residents of the southwest suburbs to reach employment centers in the O'Hare airport area and northwest suburbs: Pace Route 895 95th St.-Rosemont-Schaumburg Express. 
The route starts at the Chicago Ridge Mall at 95th Street and Ridgeland Avenue, and operates via the Tri-State Tollway to Schaumburg, with certain trips stopping along the way at the Rosemont CTA Station.
The all-new route features a unique way to serve Schaumburg businesses: a "distributor" service, operating on demand to select businesses and office complexes. The distributor function saves commuters time by travelling to only those locations that passengers on board need to access, and improves that access by travelling direct to the building's main entrance as opposed to stopping along the main road. During the afternoon, buses pick up passengers at posted stops.
The route is funded by a federal Job Access/Reverse Commute program grant and offers an alternative to driving for commuters commuting by car, or for transit users who currently take multiple buses and trains to travel through downtown Chicago then back out to the northwest suburbs to complete their commute. Those working in Schaumburg who currently use Pace Route 606 may wish to consider using Route 895 because it travels express to Schaumburg, and the distributor function may improve the ease of access to their job in the so-called "last mile" of their commute.
The regular adult fare for Route 895 is $1.75, which offers commuters a significant savings versus the cost of fuel, vehicle wear and tear, and tolls. 10-Ride and Pace's Commuter Club Card monthly pass further expand those savings.
For more information, please visit www.pacebus.com. Using the handy Route Finder function at the left side of the homepage, search for Route 895 to access the route's main page, which contains links to maps, timetables and a route video describing the routing and locations served. The video is also available by visiting the PaceSuburbanBus channel on YouTube.

The newsletter for stakeholders of America's most efficient suburban transit agency www.pacebus.com Customer Relations: (847) 364-7223 Copyright 2011, Pace Suburban Bus



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