Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Pace is cutting some bus service in response to severe drops in ridership, as workers and students stay home due to the new coronavirus.

As of Monday, Pace said its regular, fixed-route ridership was down 53% and its ADA Paratransit ridership in the city and suburbs was down 70% from normal passenger numbers, said spokeswoman Maggie Daly Skogsbakken.

To cope with ridership drops, the suburban bus agency has moved to non-school service on routes that see more passengers during the school year, and will not run service to special events, since they are all canceled, Skogsbakken said.

Commuter and “shuttle bug” service, which runs workers to and from Metra stations, has been adjusted. The changes are detailed on the passenger notices page on Pace’s web site.

Both Route 754, between Lewis University and downtown Chicago, and the Rosemont Circulator service are suspended. Routes 410, 411 and 412 in Niles will operate on adjusted schedules beginning on Tuesday, Skogsbakken said.

Pace is recommending that riders reconsider unnecessary travel, give other riders space on buses, wash their hands, and stay home if they are sick.

Other transit agencies also are seeing big ridership drops, with the CTA down 70% from normal weekdays and Metra down 90%. Transit agencies are looking for federal and state help with operating revenues, to make up for fare losses.

[email protected]