2026 Budget Public Hearing - Lake County
Pace is holding public hearings on its proposed 2026 Operating Budget, 2027-2028 Two-Year Financial Plan, and 2026-2030 Five-Year Capital Program.
The 2026 budgets for Suburban Service and the Regional ADA Paratransit program are balanced to the funding levels approved by the Regional Transportation Authority (“RTA”). In 2026, fare increases are proposed for both Suburban Services and ADA Paratransit services, as outlined below:
| Fare Type | Current | Proposed | ||
| Full Fare | Reduced Fare | Full Fare | Reduced Fare | |
| Regular Fares | ||||
| Ventra Fare | $2.00 | $1.00 | $2.25 | $1.10 |
| Cash Fare | $2.25 | $1.10 | $2.50 | $1.20 |
| Premium Fares* | ||||
| Ventra Fare | $4.50 | $2.25 | $5.00 | $2.40 |
| Cash Fare | $4.50 | $2.25 | $5.00 | $2.40 |
| Pace Premium 30-Day Pass | $140.00 | $70.00 | $154.00 | $77.00 |
| Transfer from Pace Regular Route to Pace Premium Route | $2.50 | $1.25 | $2.75 | $1.30 |
| Transfer from CTA to Pace Premium Route | $2.50 | $1.25 | $2.75 | $1.35 |
| Transfer to Pace Premium Route with a Pass | $2.50 | $1.25 | $2.75 | $1.35 |
| *For Routes 236, 755, 768, 769, 776, 850, 851, 855 | ||||
| Transit Passes | ||||
| Pace 30-Day Pass | $60.00 | $30.00 | $66.00 | $33.00 |
| CTA/Pace 30-Day Pass | $75.00 | $35.00 | $85.00 | $40.00 |
| CTA/Pace 7-Day Pass | $20.00 | N/A | $25.00 | N/A |
| CTA/Pace 3-Day Pass | $15.00 | N/A | Pass Proposed to be Discontinued | |
| CTA/Pace 1-Day Pass | $5.00 | N/A | $6.00 | N/A |
| Regional Day Pass | $2.50 | N/A | $3.00 | N/A |
| Regional Connect Pass | $30.00 | N/A | $45.00 | N/A |
| Campus Connection (Purchased in August or January) | $175.00 | N/A | $193.00 | N/A |
| Campus Connection (Purchased in September or February) | $165.00 | N/A | $182.00 | N/A |
| Campus Connection (Purchased in October or March) | $140.00 | N/A | $154.00 | N/A |
| Campus Connection (Purchased in November or April) | $105.00 | N/A | $116.00 | N/A |
| Campus Connection (Purchased in December or May) | $60.00 | N/A | $66.00 | N/A |
| Summer Campus Connection | $140.00 | N/A | $154.00 | N/A |
| Pace Student Summer Haul Pass | $45.00 | N/A | $50.00 | N/A |
| Pace 1-Day Ticket (for Non-Profit Organizations) | $4.00 | N/A | $4.50 | N/A |
| Pace Single Ride Ticket (for Non-Profit Organizations) | $2.00 | N/A | $2.25 | N/A |
| ADA Paratransit Fares | ||||
| ADA Paratransit | $3.25 | N/A | $3.50 | N/A |
| Taxi Access Program | $3.25 | N/A | $3.50 | N/A |
| RideShare Access Program | $3.25 | N/A | $3.50 | N/A |
| Vanpool Program Fares | ||||
| Advantage Vanpool Program (Per Month) | $250.00 | N/A | $275.00 | N/A |
| Not-for-Profit Shuttle Program (Per Month) | $250.00 | N/A | $275.00 | N/A |
| Employer Shuttle Program (Per Month) | $600.00 | N/A | $660.00 | N/A |
| Feeder Vanpool Program (Per Rider Per Month) | $58.00 | N/A | $64.00 | N/A |
| VanGo (Per Day) | $5.00 | N/A | $5.50 | N/A |
| Traditional Vanpool Program | Traditional Vanpool fares, which are based on round trip van mileage and number of passengers, are proposed to increase by 10% | |||
Also, as part of a regional pilot fare program that began in June 2025, Pace began accepting the Regional Day Pass. As the pilot period is coming to an end, Pace is proposing to permanently adopt the Regional Day Pass.
For the Regional ADA Paratransit program, the RTA Board approved ADA Paratransit budget fully funds federally required ADA Paratransit Services. However, the remaining RTA Board approved ADA Paratransit funding is expected to only be sufficient to operate the Taxi Access Program (“TAP”) and Rideshare Access Program (“RAP”) for approximately the first quarter of 2026. Pace will operate TAP and RAP service until RTA Board approved ADA Paratransit funding is exhausted.
Additionally, in December 2024 and March 2025, Pace implemented service improvements on the following routes on a pilot basis and as these pilot periods are coming to an end, Pace is proposing to make these service improvements permanent:
| Proposed Permanent Adoption of Service Improvements Implemented in 2024 | ||
| Route | Route Name | Service Day(s) |
| 301 | Roosevelt Road | Sunday |
| 311 | Oak Park Avenue | Weekday, Saturday, Sunday |
| 315 | Austin Boulevard | Weekday, Saturday, Sunday |
| 322 | Cermak Road – 22nd Street | Weekday, Sunday |
| 350 | Sibley | Saturday, Sunday |
| 364 | 159th Street | Saturday, Sunday |
| 381 | 95th Street | Weekday |
| 383 | South Cicero | Saturday, Sunday |
| 563 | Great Lakes Naval Station | Saturday, Sunday |
| 564 | Jackson / 14th | Weekday |
Individuals wanting to offer comments on the topic(s) to be addressed at any of the public hearings may do so:
- at the public hearing;
- by submitting a completed Public Hearing Comments Form on Pace’s website at https://www.pacebus.com/public-hearing-comments;
- by email to public.hearings@pacebus.com;
- by mail to Pace, 550 W. Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 Attention: Community Relations Department; or
- by voicemail at (847) 354-7943.
Pace must receive comments by 5:00 p.m. on October 28, 2025, for the comments to be part of the official record of the public hearings. Information on Pace’s proposed 2026 budget will be available on Pace’s website at https://www.PaceBus.com/budgets after October 15, 2025.
Individuals with disabilities who require accommodations other than transportation and individuals who require translation into a language other than English are requested to contact Pace at (847) 354-7943 (Option 3) no less than five business days prior to the date of the public hearing they plan to attend.
Documents
2026 Budget Hearing Legal Notice
Last updated:
