Wheaton are residents Transportation Update

January 9, 2009

Daily Herald

Wheaton onboard with Ride DuPage

| Daily Herald Staff

Published: 1/7/2009 12:01 AM

Wheaton seniors and the disabled soon will have greater flexibility

when it comes to getting rides around the county.

Starting March 1, the city will join Milton Township and Glen Ellyn

in providing a Ride DuPage program for residents.

Milton/Glen Ellyn/Wheaton Ride DuPage Partners will use paratransit

buses and taxi service to make door-to-door pickups available to

seniors and persons with disabilities 24 hours a day, seven days a

week.

" It gives us a better connected system than every town doing their

own thing, " said Wallace, Wheaton's special project assistant.

Ride DuPage will replace Wheaton's city-subsidized Pilot II taxi

service program, which last year provided more than 300 rides to

about 38 people. Officials say they expect the switch to increase

ridership.

" We know there are people out there, " Wallace said. " If it's more

convenient for you to use it, you'll use it more. "

Ride DuPage also is expected to give people a wider range of

services. For example, wheelchair-accessible buses are available.

During this week's council meeting, Wheaton resident Georgia Cawley

praised the city's decision to participate.

" I am on the bus constantly going places - to the doctor, to the park

district, shopping, " said Cawley, who has been disabled since 1995.

" This Ride DuPage program is really important to keep the paratransit

available for everybody. "

By entering in a partnership, officials said Wheaton and Glen Ellyn

will be able to share in a roughly $151,000 subsidy that Milton

Township receives from Pace, the suburban bus agency.

Exactly how much Wheaton will have to contribute is based on the

number of people who use it. The city's share for the first year of

the program is estimated at between $46,795 and $85,904.

Ride DuPage customers are charged based on the number of miles of

their trip. After paying a base fee of $1, the riders pay an

additional $1-per-mile fee.

Registration is expected to begin soon. For details, contact

Wallace at (630) 260-2064.

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