Will County looks to improve Dial-a-Ride as senior population grows

Dial-a-Ride services in Will County will continue to be more accessible after reaching their second-highest level of ridership in 2024 amid a growing population of elderly residents, county officials said.

Almost 11,000 riders in Will County used the Pace service this year, which primarily provides transportation for elderly and disabled people, the county executive’s office said in a news release.

“These are popular services and are increasingly in high-demand,” Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant said in the release. “I look forward to continuing to work with local partners to expand availability and access to Dial-a-Ride transportation options.”

Will County Executive Director Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant speaks at the Will County Board Meeting on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024 in Joliet. — Will County Executive Director Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (Gary Middendorf)

The County Board this month approved an Access Will County plan, which, Bertino-Tarrant said, will improve Dial-a-Ride services in the county in the future.

The plan notes that the number of residents age 70 and older in the Chicago region is expected to double by 2050, creating the potential for growing demand for Dial-a-Ride transportation.

Residents 65 and older now make up 14% of the population in Will County, according to the plan.

People living with disabilities now make up just less than 6% of the population in Will County.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Pace Suburban Bus leadership, and the Mayors of Braidwood and Wilmington cut the ribbon on the Access Will County Dial-a-Ride program, which has expanded into Southwest Will County. (From left to right: Wilmington City Administrator Jeannine Smith, Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger, Wilmington Mayor Ben Dietz, County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Pace Chairman Rick Kwasneski, Braidwood Mayor Karen Hart, and Braidwood City Administrator Tony Altiery). — Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Pace Suburban Bus leadership, and the Mayors of Braidwood and Wilmington cut the ribbon on the Access Will County Dial-a-Ride program, which has expanded into Southwest Will County. Pictured are (from left) Wilmington City Administrator Jeannine Smith, Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger, Wilmington Mayor Ben Dietz, Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Pace Chairman Rick Kwasneski, Braidwood Mayor Karen Hart and Braidwood City Administrator Tony Altiery). (Photo provided by Will County)

The Access Will County plan was completed in June and included a recommendation that Dial-a-Ride service be expanded to townships that did not have it.

In August, Dial-a-Ride services were expanded to six townships in southwestern Will County: Custer, Florence, Reed, Wesley, Wilmington and Wilton.

The release included a quote from Wilmington Mayor Ben Dietz saying the program “has provided our residents with access to jobs, human services and basic living needs.”

For the future, the Access Will County plan “outlines strategies for countywide improvements to dial-a-ride services,” according to the release.

Access Will County is a 193-page plan that chiefly calls for a consolidation of services, now overseen by townships, under the umbrella of the county.

The Access Will County Dial-a-Ride service, overseen by the Will County Executive Office and operated by Pace Suburban Bus, included six new townships that previously did not have a service available for residents. (Provided by Will County Executive Office)

Dial-a-Ride services are provided by Pace in partnership with local governments. The local partners now are township governments.

The plan also calls for Will County to align its Dial-a-Ride services with those provided by other counties in the Chicago region.

Other recommendations in the plan include:

• Create uniform eligibility rules, which now can vary by township, to provide Dial-a-Ride to all residents 55 or older, living with a disability or needing transportation to work.

• Extend service hours, now 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, into evenings and weekends.

• Create a uniform fare structure countywide and expand payment options beyond cash only.

The plan examined 12 separate Dial-a-Ride systems now operating within Will County, according to the news release.

The plan reached other findings about Will County travel patterns, including:

• 4% of Will County residents do not have access to personal vehicles, which is below the regional average of 13%.

• The median household income in Will County in 2020 was $86,960 and above the Chicago regional average of $73,570.

• More than two-thirds of Will County residents commute to jobs outside the county with 34% going to Cook County and 19% going to DuPage County, the top two destinations.