HR0402 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0402 LRB096 12882 GRL 26709 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor the Board of Directors and the employees of Pace Suburban Bus for 25 years of safe and accountable service to the people of northeastern Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Pace was formed through legislation in 1983 by the Illinois General Assembly as part of reorganization and reform legislation for the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), following a transit funding crisis; and

WHEREAS, Having begun operations as the Suburban Bus Division of the RTA, the agency consolidated numerous suburban bus operations into a single system and restored financial stability and customer confidence in suburban Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties; the agency immediately began a strategic planning process to coordinate service and restore an aging fleet of buses; and

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of its first Board Chair, Florence Boone, and Executive Director Joseph DiJohn, Pace engaged in an aggressive strategic planning process to address commercial and residential growth in the agency's service area and prepare for future development; and

WHEREAS, Pace has established itself as a transit agency on the forefront of technological innovations, ranging from the establishment of a system-wide radio system in 1994 to the development of its Intelligent Bus System, which monitors performance using GPS technology while also provides passengers with real-time service information, such as bus arrival information; the agency has also looked to the future with such innovations as the implementation of a Transit Signal Priority system and Bus Rapid Transit; and

WHEREAS, Pace has been a national leader in service provided to people with disabilities, including providing paratransit services many years before they were federally mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act and becoming the first transit agency in the Chicago area to provide a fully accessible fleet; the agency also participates in projects such as Ride DuPage and Ride in Kane, which coordinate the resources and services of multiple agencies to reduce costs and improve service availability for riders; and

WHEREAS, In 2006, Pace took over responsibility for ADA paratransit operations in the City of Chicago from the Chicago Transit Authority to become the regional provider of origin to destination transportation for people with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, In 1991, the Vanpool Incentive Program was formed by Pace to provide an alternative to fixed route bus service; the program involves Pace providing a van, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and tolls to groups of commuters for a flat monthly fare; since its inception, the program has since grown to be the second-largest vanpool operation in the United States, with roughly 700 vans on the road; and

WHEREAS, The Municipal Vanpool Program was developed to provide vans to units of local government to address needs and enhance communities through improving the availability of transportation for constituents; and

WHEREAS, In 1991, Pace set its all-time high for ridership with 40.5 million trips taken, a number nearly equaled in 2008 when people sought relief from high fuel prices and severe traffic congestion; and

WHEREAS, Pace has served as the Chicago area's regional ridesharing coordinator, helping to fight traffic congestion by helping commuters match potential carpool and vanpool partners through the program website www.PaceRideShare.com; the site has gathered more than 6,000 members since March of 2008; and

WHEREAS, In an effort to address the many growing and changing suburban communities in Pace's service area, the agency has engaged in multiple service restructuring projects to improve utilization of financial resources by realigning existing routes to serve areas with greater demand for service, including the development of new routes to areas previously not served or extending hours or days of service; and

WHEREAS, Pace survived six consecutive years of budget deficits from 2003 to 2008 through careful planning and containment of costs; Pace also benefited from a groundswell of support from riders, stakeholders, and other advocates, as well as collective work with legislators on development of the transit funding and reform legislation passed by the Illinois General Assembly in January of 2008 to avert steep fare increases and massive staff layoffs and service elimination; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor the Board of Directors and the employees of Pace Suburban Bus for 25 years of safe and accountable service to the people of northeastern Illinois and wish them continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Pace Board of Directors as a symbol of our esteem and respect.