Pace Celebrates 40 Years with Free Rides and Service Expansions

Pace Suburban Bus Service is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a weekend of free rides on June 8 and June 9. This initiative allows the community to experience public transportation at no cost. Metra is also offering free rides, encouraging passengers to explore Chicago and its suburbs.

Recent data from the American Public Transportation Association highlights growing weekend ridership and suburb-to-suburb commuting. To capture this market, Pace is expanding service frequency on Routes 318 and 381 starting June 2. March and April 2024 saw a significant increase in weekend boardings compared to last year.

Over the past four decades, Pace has connected communities, reduced traffic, and promoted sustainability. Alongside the free rides, the anniversary celebrations include outreach programs, a ribbon-cutting for a new administrative building, and a community event at the Joliet Transportation Center.

Melinda Metzger, Executive Director of Pace, remarked, “Forty years is a remarkable milestone. We are excited to give back to the communities by offering a weekend of free rides as a thank you.” Pace is also planning future service enhancements, zero emissions buses, and continued infrastructure modernization.