Access Will County reports near-11,000 rides in 2024, proposes 2025 expansion to three townships

Access Will County officials updated the Will County Department of Transportation Committee on the program’s first quarterly report and outlined a planned expansion to three additional townships.

The quarterly presentation reported nearly 11,000 trips delivered in 2024, the highest annual total in six years, and described a proposed 2025 expansion that county staff estimate would add about 1,000 rides at an out‑of‑pocket cost to Will County of roughly $20,000.

The update matters because Access Will County is a subsidized paratransit service for seniors and residents with disabilities across Will County; changes to its service area and intergovernmental agreements affect access for riders who need transportation to medical appointments and other essential services.

Elaine Bottomley, Deputy Chief of Staff for the County Executive, and Colin Phillips, the county’s Mobility Manager, delivered the update. Bottomley opened the presentation, saying, “We are excited to be here to provide the first quarterly update about Accessible County.” Phillips described how registrations and operations work and the program’s recent growth.

Phillips told the committee that many callers prefer phone enrollment: “If someone in Will County reaches out to me in the morning, we’re gonna have them set up and registered by the end of that day so they can start scheduling rides for tomorrow.” He said vehicles include secured seating, electric wheelchair lifts and driver assistance.

The presenters gave these program figures and funding details from 2024: total program cost about $478,000; Will County’s local match roughly $181,000 (about one‑third of the total); AgeGuide and the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) contributed roughly $150,000 and $145,000 respectively; and the county’s cost per ride in 2024 was about $17.

Staff reported that in December, January and February of the current fiscal year they had delivered more than 3,100 rides and were projecting between about 12,000 and 13,000 rides for fiscal 2025 if seasonal trends continue. The presenters said AgeGuide increased its grant award for the current year compared with 2024, so staff do not expect to exhaust that funding as early as last year.

On expansion, Bottomley and Phillips described a near‑term plan to add Plainfield Township, Channahon and Manhattan Township into Access Will County in 2025. Plainfield operates its own bus service and provided about 1,500 rides inside its borders in the prior year; county staff estimate Plainfield’s participation would add roughly 800–1,000 rides for the remainder of 2025. Channahon and Manhattan, which contract with PACE, together had under 100 rides last year; county staff estimate including them in Access Will County would add roughly 130–170 rides.

Using a conservative per‑ride out‑of‑pocket cap of $20, staff estimated the incremental cost to Will County of adding Plainfield, Channahon and Manhattan in 2025 would be about $20,000. Bottomley told the committee that the county has budgeted for this increase and that staff are planning to bring an updated intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with PACE for board consideration next month.

The presenters said longer‑range discussions are underway with Central Will Dial‑a‑Ride (Troy, Joliet, Lockport and Homer townships), New Lenox Township and northern townships Wheatland and DuPage, but those potential additions would carry a substantially larger fiscal impact and require more detailed feasibility work before any commitment.

Member Van Dine commented to the committee, “I feel like this county board and, the executive’s office should be extremely proud to give over close to 11,000 rides last year,” and expressed support for expanding countywide availability.

No formal vote or change to service policy occurred at the meeting. Staff said they will return with an updated IGA with PACE for formal consideration next month.