Pace Launches Late-Night Microtransit Service in Cook County, IL, 2023

Pace Suburban Bus has launched Pace Connect, a microtransit service geared toward late-night commuters. Customers can book Pace Connect rides through a smartphone app supported by Via, or by phone. Standard single single-ride fares are $2 and can be paid through the Pace Connect app or by tapping a Ventra Card to a validator. With the Ventra Card, transfers from the Chicago Transit Authority cost $0.30, while transfers from a Pace fixed-route bus are free.

Pace Connect has two service zones: the area surrounding Chicago O’Hare International Airport and the area surrounding the town of Harvey, south of Chicago. Rides for the Harvey zone must start or end at Pace’s Harvey Transportation Center and connect customers to areas like an Amazon warehouse facility in Markham, South Suburban College in South Holland, and the UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey. At the Harvey Transportation Center, customers can transfer to or from a Pace bus route and the Metra commuter rail system. Rides for the Harvey zone are available from 12 AM through 5 AM, Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 PM on Saturdays through 6 AM on Sundays, and 11 PM on Sundays through 5 AM on Mondays.

Rides for the O’Hare zone must start or end at Pace’s Rosemont Transportation Center. This zone is designed to transport employees to airline and mail cargo areas, airport hotels, and airport catering sites. Pace Connect rides operate from 11:30 PM to 5:30 AM daily in the O’Hare zone.

Some microtransit programs, like Pace Connect, offer shared mobility services to people when demand for fixed-route transit is lower, such as during the nighttime. Pace Connect will hopefully connect a significant volume of customers to and from their places of employment.

Last updated July 10, 2023