Expressway-Based Routes

Pace operates many routes on Chicagoland expressways which can bypass traffic either on the shoulder or in designated "Flex Lanes"

Allowing buses a competitive advantage over cars and trucks is critical to increasing the reliability and attractiveness of public transportation. Pace's partnerships with the Illinois Tollway and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) enables Pace riders to leverage of special benefits for buses without expensive infrastructure projects.

In 2011, thanks to a change in Illinois State law, Pace implemented bus-on-shoulder service on the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) as a demonstration project. That upgrade was developed in partnership with IDOT, the Illinois State Police, and the RTA. Since 2011, Pace has expanded service along the I-55 corridor several times. In 2014, the Illinois General Assembly enacted legislation permanently allowing bus-on-shoulder service and expanding that permission to all the region's expressways and tollways.

Currently, five bus routes use the I-55 shoulder, two routes use the I-94 shoulder, and six routes use the I-90 Flex Lane.

In the years since Pace first got approval to use the shoulder, bus ridership on the I-55 corridor has increased more than 700 percent, and on-time performance - which averaged less than 70 percent - is now over 90 percent.

The overflowing parking lots along the I-55 corridor led Pace to expand the existing lots and develop three new ones between 2016 and 2018.

What's the difference between a shoulder and a Flex Lane?

Flex Lanes are part of the Illinois Tollway’s Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) SmartRoad system. Pace buses can use these lanes, located along inside/left-hand side shoulders of the road when traffic congestion slows speeds. This helps to provide more reliable transit service for Pace and its customers. The Flex Lanes can also be used for regular emergency purposes like any other expressway shoulder. Pace bus operations in this corridor are closely coordinated with the Tollway’s traffic operations center.

Flex Lanes will soon be constructed along the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) as part of the Illinois Tollway’s Central Tri-State construction project, and Pace is currently partnering with the RTA and Tollway for planning new service and passenger facilities to compliment this work.

Similarly, Pace Bus-on-Shoulder services are operated along IDOT-maintained expressways. The Stevenson Expressway (I-55) features inside/left-hand side shoulders wide enough for buses to safely operate. IDOT has also implemented outside/right-hand side Bus-on-Shoulder lanes along the Edens Expressway (I-94). Both allow Pace buses to bypass congestion and offer a competitive alternative to the personal automobile. Certain restrictions apply for Pace buses using the shoulders of I-55 and I-94:

The bus can use the shoulder only when general traffic slows to less than 35 mph
The bus cannot travel faster than 35 mph while on the shoulder and cannot travel more than 15 mph faster than general traffic
If the shoulder has obstructions, such as a stalled car or snow, the bus does not use the shoulder

The term "Express"

Many Pace routes use the term "express" in their name, and not all of them use a shoulder or Flex Lane of an expressway. That term "express" generally refers to bus routes that have limited stops and use an expressway for much or all of their routing. A route's fare classification does not correlate to whether it is termed an "express" route or not. Express routes connect passengers to a variety of convenient access points for both drivers and transit users, which include Pace transit centers, stations, park-n-ride lots and CTA facilities.