After more than a decade of work, the Lake County Board Tuesday approved the creation of a new borderless paratransit system.
What comes next will be negotiations with Pace Suburban Bus to create parameters for the system, which would provide low-cost transportation to those who are elderly or have disabilities. The program, called “RideLakeCounty,” should be operational by the spring of 2022, officials said.
The program will provide people with a ride service ranging in price from $2 to $6, depending on the distance, and be centered around two mainline routes.
The approval also means a letter will be sent to Pace requesting the 14 other transportation services within the county be put underneath the new paratransit’s umbrella. The Lake County Coordinated Transportation Services Committee (LCCTSC), which has been responsible for helping coordinate the various transportation programs around the county, will be dissolved as well.
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At the meeting, all members present voted in favor of the program. District 21 board member Ann Maine, Board Chair Sandy Hart and District 18 board member Julie Simpson said the service was a longtime coming. District 6 board member John Wasik said it was much-needed.
“It’s just a great example of how government can pull together and provide a very genuinely needed human service,” he said.