Pace Expanding Services For High-Demand Bus Routes

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Starting Sunday, Pace is expanding services for high-demand bus routes in Cook, DuPage and Lake counties. The Arlington Heights-based bus company said new schedules will bring long hours and increased frequency to weekday and weekend service.

The company announced the service expansions are part of its "commitment to strengthening its transit network and meeting the evolving needs of suburban riders across the region."

"Throughout 2024, Pace has made strategic investments to enhance service on routes with increasing demand," the company said Wednesday in a statement shared with Patch. "By expanding operating hours and improving frequency, Pace has demonstrated its ability to respond quickly and strategically to riders' changing habits, a key factor in its consistent ridership growth over the past year."

Beginning on Sunday, Pace Routes 322, 350, and 364, which provide service in Cook and DuPage counties, will include additional trips, longer service hours, and increased frequency on both weekdays and weekends, according to the company. Route 301, also in Cook and DuPage counties, will see more trips and longer service hours on weekends.

"Pace's nimble and responsive approach has served our riders well," Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger said. "Pace recently served the highest monthly total of riders throughout our entire system since the COVID-19 pandemic began, carrying more than 2 million riders this past October. Our Paratransit ridership already has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Pace is reimagining our transit network to meet customers’ evolving needs, and our riders have responded accordingly."

One of the largest bus services in North America, Pace covers 3,677 square miles, an area more than 15 times the size of the City of Chicago.

The company added that with overall ridership trending positively, more piloted service expansions also soon are on the way. For more information on these and other service changes, visit PaceBus.com/passenger-notices.