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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to honor the Board of Directors and
4 the employees of Pace Suburban Bus for 25 years of safe and
5 accountable service to the people of northeastern Illinois; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Pace was formed through legislation in 1983 by the
7 Illinois General Assembly as part of reorganization and reform
8 legislation for the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA),
9 following a transit funding crisis; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Having begun operations as the Suburban Bus
11 Division of the RTA, the agency consolidated numerous suburban
12 bus operations into a single system and restored financial
13 stability and customer confidence in suburban Cook, DuPage,
14 Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties; the agency immediately
15 began a strategic planning process to coordinate service and
16 restore an aging fleet of buses; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Under the leadership of its first Board Chair,
18 Florence Boone, and Executive Director Joseph DiJohn, Pace
19 engaged in an aggressive strategic planning process to address
20 commercial and residential growth in the agency's service area
21 and prepare for future development; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Pace has established itself as a transit agency on
2 the forefront of technological innovations, ranging from the
3 establishment of a system-wide radio system in 1994 to the
4 development of its Intelligent Bus System, which monitors
5 performance using GPS technology while also provides
6 passengers with real-time service information, such as bus
7 arrival information; the agency has also looked to the future
8 with such innovations as the implementation of a Transit Signal
9 Priority system and Bus Rapid Transit; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Pace has been a national leader in service
11 provided to people with disabilities, including providing
12 paratransit services many years before they were federally
13 mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act and becoming
14 the first transit agency in the Chicago area to provide a fully
15 accessible fleet; the agency also participates in projects such
16 as Ride DuPage and Ride in Kane, which coordinate the resources
17 and services of multiple agencies to reduce costs and improve
18 service availability for riders; and
 
19     WHEREAS, In 2006, Pace took over responsibility for ADA
20 paratransit operations in the City of Chicago from the Chicago
21 Transit Authority to become the regional provider of origin to
22 destination transportation for people with disabilities; and
 
23     WHEREAS, In 1991, the Vanpool Incentive Program was formed

 

 

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1 by Pace to provide an alternative to fixed route bus service;
2 the program involves Pace providing a van, fuel, insurance,
3 maintenance, and tolls to groups of commuters for a flat
4 monthly fare; since its inception, the program has since grown
5 to be the second-largest vanpool operation in the United
6 States, with roughly 700 vans on the road; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The Municipal Vanpool Program was developed to
8 provide vans to units of local government to address needs and
9 enhance communities through improving the availability of
10 transportation for constituents; and
 
11     WHEREAS, In 1991, Pace set its all-time high for ridership
12 with 40.5 million trips taken, a number nearly equaled in 2008
13 when people sought relief from high fuel prices and severe
14 traffic congestion; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Pace has served as the Chicago area's regional
16 ridesharing coordinator, helping to fight traffic congestion
17 by helping commuters match potential carpool and vanpool
18 partners through the program website www.PaceRideShare.com;
19 the site has gathered more than 6,000 members since March of
20 2008; and
 
21     WHEREAS, In an effort to address the many growing and
22 changing suburban communities in Pace's service area, the

 

 

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1 agency has engaged in multiple service restructuring projects
2 to improve utilization of financial resources by realigning
3 existing routes to serve areas with greater demand for service,
4 including the development of new routes to areas previously not
5 served or extending hours or days of service; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Pace survived six consecutive years of budget
7 deficits from 2003 to 2008 through careful planning and
8 containment of costs; Pace also benefited from a groundswell of
9 support from riders, stakeholders, and other advocates, as well
10 as collective work with legislators on development of the
11 transit funding and reform legislation passed by the Illinois
12 General Assembly in January of 2008 to avert steep fare
13 increases and massive staff layoffs and service elimination;
14 therefore, be it
 
15     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
16 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
17 honor the Board of Directors and the employees of Pace Suburban
18 Bus for 25 years of safe and accountable service to the people
19 of northeastern Illinois and wish them continued success and
20 happiness in the future; and be it further
 
21     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
22 presented to the Pace Board of Directors as a symbol of our
23 esteem and respect.