McHenry County DOT committee backs PTAC recommendation to change MC Ride fares and verify reduced fares

The McHenry County Division of Transportation committee on an administrative meeting day reviewed a recommendation from the County’s Public Transportation Advisory Committee (PTAC) to change MC Ride and Connect program fares and to require verification for reduced fares.

PTAC staff recommended combining two changes: a distance-based fare structure for MC Ride and a verification requirement for reduced fares (using Regional Transportation Authority, RTA, ID cards). Drew Duffin, transportation planning manager, said the goal is to move the system’s farebox recovery ratio from roughly 5% toward a target near 10%.

“We’ve been hovering around 5% for the last year,” Duffin said. “So we’re just trying to get us more towards that target, farebox recovery ratio of about 10%.” He and staff presented four scenarios considered by PTAC and said the committee recommended a blended approach: a graduated, distance-tiered fare plus verification for reduced fares.

Under the recommended structure, fares would be charged in three distance bands: 0–5 miles, 5–10 miles and over 10 miles. Staff presented the recommended fares as: standard fare $3 (0–5 miles), $6 (5–10 miles) and $9 (>10 miles); reduced fares $2 (0–5 miles), $4 (5–10 miles) and $6 (>10 miles). Duffin told the committee the county’s historical trip data show the average trip is about 6.73 miles, placing most trips in the middle band.

PTAC also recommended replacing the current honor-system reduced fare (where riders self-identify as seniors or disabled at booking) with an RTA card verification process for those reduced fares. Staff said call-center staff would collect an RTA ID number when booking to confirm eligibility. “That would be one more check that they are who they say they are,” a staff presenter said.

Staff projected the recommended package would raise the farebox recovery ratio to about 9% (with a plausible range of about 8%–10%), below but close to the 10% goal. Duffin said the recommended changes would be included in the 2026 intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Pace and presented to the full county board for final approval later this year.

The committee also reviewed recommendations for the Connect program (the county’s Uber voucher program for older adults and residents with disabilities). PTAC recommended increasing the customer-facing base contribution and reducing the county subsidy cap modestly to expand program reach: staff said the rider’s flat portion would move from $4 to $5 and the county subsidy cap would be adjusted so the county covers up to $15 on a trip (staff described current practice as a $16 cap). PTAC additionally recommended a monthly limit on subsidized rides — staff proposed 60 trips per month to replace the current very high per-day cap used previously in a comparable program.

Staff warned the committee that these Connect changes could draw criticism from frequent users. “When Pace did this on their program, they got a lot of criticism from the community,” a staff presenter said, adding the county would give advance notice before any change goes into effect so eligible riders could obtain RTA ID cards before implementation.

No formal vote on the fare changes was taken during the committee discussion; staff said the recommendations will be incorporated into the draft IGA with Pace that will return to the committee and then to the county board for final action.

Committee members asked operational questions about how mileage is calculated (call-center mapping using origin and destination addresses) and how verification would affect same-household travel where a card-holder calls on behalf of another rider. Staff said some mismatches are possible today and that the verification step is intended to reduce, not eliminate, misuse.

The committee directed staff to proceed with drafting the Pace IGA using the PTAC recommendation for presentation to the full board later this year.