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Will County expands "Access Will" dial‑a‑ride service; officials report higher ridership and a one‑third county cost share
Summary
County staff reported consolidation of township paratransit services into Access Will County, extended service hours, broader eligibility and rising ridership projections (from ~9,400 quarterly billable rides to an annual projection of roughly 35,000–38,000). Will County pays about one third of monthly invoices.
Will County transportation staff told the committee on April 15 that the countywide paratransit program Access Will County has been expanded and is reaching more riders following recent service consolidations.
Colin, the program lead, said the county consolidated several township pay‑for‑service dial‑a‑ride providers to create a countywide offering that now serves Will County residents age 16 and older and people with disabilities. He said the program’s funding mix includes subsidies from PACE, Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) funding (described as a 50/50 match) and smaller allocations from AgeGuide. "We consolidated the various PACE dial‑a‑ride services in Will County," Colin said, adding the change eliminated some of the prior registration bottlenecks and removed township‑by‑township eligibility restrictions.
Colin described operational changes intended to improve usability: service hours were shifted from an 8 a.m.–5 p.m. window to 6 a.m.–5 p.m. to align with central Will partners; trip scheduling was expanded so riders may schedule one to seven days in advance; subscription service options are available for recurring needs such as dialysis or school programs; and attendants and caregivers ride free and are excluded from billable‑ride counts.
On costs and use, Colin said Will County accounted for roughly one‑third of monthly PACE invoices in recent months. He reported approximately 9,400 billable rides in the first quarter and about 13,500 billable rides in the first four months; consolidating central Will and other township programs, he said, drives the higher annual projection to roughly 35,000—6,000 rides.
Board members asked about visible vehicle branding (Colin said PACE vehicles generally are not locally re‑branded), brochures and outreach; staff supplied an e‑mail address for public questions (justaccess@willcounty.gov) and promised to distribute updated brochures to the committee.
Colin said more detailed ridership and invoice numbers were available on request. The committee did not take a formal vote on the presentation but thanked staff for the update and suggested continued outreach to clinics, senior centers and transition programs to boost enrollment.
Next steps include making the new brochure widely available and providing the committee with any requested breakdowns of ridership by township and invoice line items.
