SUBURBAN TRANSIT ROUTES

ROUTES 805-809

MCHENRY COUNTY

McHenry County is the most rural of the six counties in the Chicago area. And in the 1974 referendum approving creation of the RTA, heavy opposition came from McHenry County. McHenry County's voters saw little reason for public transit in their area. But four new bus routes were introduced 6/5/78, providing service all day, using RTA's new 35 foot GM New Look transit buses. But those buses ran mostly empty. And around 1986, scheduled service outside of rush hours was replaced with dial a ride service, and the transit buses were replaced with smaller buses or paratransit vans. Service was generally operated by contract operators, often school bus companies. Most service was originally operated under contract by Worts Transit Co. of McHenry. After the service became mostly a paratransit operation, DAR Systems of Crystal Lake became the contract operator, later Laidlaw, in 2007 to First Transit. Pace actually owns the garage in McHenry, where the buses are based.

805 - Crystal Lake-Elgin - introduced 6/5/78. Service to Elgin discontinued effective 3/28/82, instead connecting at Spring Hill Mall with Elgin route #552. Discontinued in 1994. Service between Elgin and Crystal Lake restored in 2015 as route #550. In early days operated under contract by Commuter Bus Systems, and by Elgin Department of Transportation starting in 1979.

806 - Crystal Lake-Fox Lake - introduced 6/5/78. Originally operated by Waukegan-North Chicago Transit Co., routed through with route #570 from the Waukegan area.

807 - Woodstock-Wonder Lake-McHenry - introduced 6/5/78.

808 - Crystal Lake-Harvard - introduced 6/5/78.

809 - McHenry County Saturday Service - combined route, operating both directions in a loop though Crystal Lake, McHenry, Wonder Lake, and Woodstock. Discontinued around 1986.

809 - Richmond-Fox Lake Metra Station - introduced 3/9/2015, operated by First Transit/McHenry, discontinued 1/21/2019.