One Less Bus to Dial-a-Ride in Ela Township

The Board voted Thursday night to reduce the number of Pace buses serving disabled and elderly residents from four to three.

The move comes as the township, like many other government bodies, is looking to cut where it can in response to the rough economic times.  

“Taking one bus out of service will save the township approximately $4,000 a year. Services won’t be affected because there is at least one to two buses not in use at any given time,” said Bill Kruckenberg, highway commissioner, whose department oversees the Dial-A-Ride program.  

The cost of leasing and maintaining the Pace buses has spiked in the last few years.

“Complete preventative maintenance is required every three months even if fewer than 3,000 miles has been traveled by a bus," said Kruckenberg. "There is also the growing cost of regular inspections and paperwork."

Regular maintenance alone can cost between $350 and $600 each of the four required times per year, Kruckenberg added.

Ela Township owns one of the three remaining buses and plans to continue leasing the other two from the Regional Transportation Authority, or RTA.

The pending purchase of the post office building at 380 Surryse Road could increase the need for Dial-a-Ride services, as a number of senior programs are expected to move there from the Foglia YMCA.

The closing on the property is expected to take place on or before June 30, and according to Trustee Jack Reck, the post office will be running all operations out of its facility at Route 22 and Telser Road by June 20.

“We can always go back and add another bus in the future if the need for service increases, but in the meantime we will save the township an unnecessary expense,” Kruckenberg said.

Dial-a-Ride is available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Call (847) 438-6677 for more information.

Pace is the suburban bus division of the RTA, which also includes the Chicago Transit Authority bus and rail system and Metra Commuter Rail.