Planning Programs and Projects

This program provides transportation and mobility management services for persons with disabilities and older adults residing in eastern Will County townships. The award funds the County’s Mobility Manager position. This is an existing Section 5310 project.

The Regional Transit Coordination Plan is an ongoing multi-year program aimed at enhancing regional mobility by facilitating seamless travel on public transportation.

Public Involvement began with an open-house public meeting in December 1999, when the proposed approach for the RTCP was presented to and discussed with members of the general public and stakeholder groups. Public comments were incorporated into the Proposed Approach Report submitted to the Illinois General Assembly (December 31, 1999). Throughout the year 2000, RTA management and staff made numerous presentations on the RTCP to various committees of the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) and the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC), community and business groups, suburban Councils of Mayors, and other transportation agencies. Area residents have also participated in two rounds of focus groups as described below. Regular updates on the plan were provided in the RTA Reports newsletter.

Public participation has been supplemented by Focus Groups involving both residents and stakeholder representatives. Separate focus groups for residents of the City of Chicago, inner suburbs and outer suburbs were conducted in October 2000 to gather perceptions on transit and interagency transfers. Those sessions were augmented in November 2000 with a stakeholder focus group of community and business leaders from throughout the region, which was a follow-up to interviews conducted with various stakeholder agencies and groups earlier that year. All of the focus groups suggested a need for better coordination of basic transit information, better connections between transit services ¿ especially in the suburbs, and a desire for some sort of universal fare mechanism; so that travelers can best use the entire regional transit system.

A second round of resident focus groups was conducted in June 2002 to test recommendations from the information component aimed at providing better information for transit customers and potential customers. At all transfer locations and for all points of access to the transit system, focus group participants have expressed a preference for agencies to use common symbols, icons and logos to convey an integrated transit system and identity.

Phase VIII of Pace's Regional Call Center takes reservations for dial a ride and demand response services to seniors and individuals with disabilities.  The Call Center provides comprehensive mobility management services that improve the coordination and operation of transportation services and supports county-led coordination services funded by Section 5310

Mobility Management portion of the Ray Graham Transportation program. Individuals with disabilities are transported from their homes to Community Learning Centers and a variety of other activities including grocery shopping, medical appointments, volunteer opportunities and recreational activities. Service is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. This is an existing Section 5310 operating project.

This is the first phase of a three-part plan to implement one of three regional call centers. The center will promote, enhance and facilitate access to transportation services, including the integration and coordination of services for individuals with disabilities, older adults and those individuals with low income. Facilitating the coordination of transportation services for work training work shops and work placement agencies are among the functions of the call center.

The Regional Transit Coordination Plan is an ongoing multi-year program aimed at enhancing regional mobility by facilitating seamless travel on public transportation.

The Fare Coordination component began with extensive research on fare coordination policies in Northeastern Illinois and elsewhere, including a characterization of the various fare instruments currently available in the RTA region. That research was followed by an effort to establish principles, goals and objectives for improving fare coordination. The RTA subsequently evaluated various approaches for implementation of a universal fare card for use on transit services operated by the CTA, Metra, and Pace.

Phase IX of Pace's Regional Call Center takes reservations for dial a ride and demand response services to seniors and individuals with disabilities. The Call Center provides comprehensive mobility management services that improve the coordination and operation of transportation services and supports county-led coordination services funded by Section 5310. This is an existing Section 5310 funded project.