SUBURBAN TRANSIT ROUTES

ROUTES 805-830

MISCELLANEOUS ROUTES

Some of these routes have been operated directly by Pace, others by contract operators, often school bus companies. Some of these routes were subsequently discontinued.

Many bus routes in the northwest and west suburbs were originally operated under contract by Commuter Bus Systems. Commuter Bus Systems was formed in 1973, and normally operated school buses painted white. But by 1986, Commuter Bus Systems was no longer in operation, and various school bus companies were operating the buses, usually using school buses. Although all day routes usually used regular transit buses. In 1997, Pace began providing the school bus companies with its own smaller transit buses, for rush hour feeder service.

The largest school bus companies serving Du Page County were Du Page Motor Coach Co. (several locations), Valley Transit (Hodgkins), and Kammes Bus Service (Wheaton and Batavia). Around the 1980's these companies were acquired by Vancom, which had evolved out of an original school bus company, Van Der Aa Bus Lines, based in South Holland IL. In 1997, the Vancom school bus operations were sold to Canadian company Laidlaw, which in turn in 2007 was sold to First Group of Great Britain. The school bus operations became known as First Student.

805-809 - McHenry County - four routes introduced 6/5/78. 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 these bus routes were introduced, 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 paratransit vans. Routes #806-#807-#808 remain, while route #805 was discontinued in 1994. Service between Elgin and Crystal Lake was restored in 2015 as route #550. Route #805 originally operated south of Crystal Lake to Elgin, changed to end at Spring Hill Mall effective 3/28/82. Most service was operated under contract by Worts Transit Co. of McHenry. Route #809 was a Saturday combined route, operating both directions in a loop though Crystal Lake, McHenry, Wonder Lake, and Woodstock. In the early days, route #805 was operated under contract by Commuter Bus Systems, and by Elgin Department of Transportation starting in 1979. And route #806 was originally operated by Waukegan-North Chicago Transit Co., routed through with route #570 from the Waukegan area. After the service became mostly a paratransit operation, DAR Systems of Crystal Lake became the contract operator, later Laidlaw, in 2007 to First Transit.

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

810 - Rosemont Lunchtime Circulator - free shuttle route introduced 5/20/2013, primarily via River Road between Devon Ave. near the Municipal Building, and the Fashion Outlet Mall near Balmoral Ave. Discontinued 2014. Operated by First Transit/Glenview.

811 - Rosemont Entertainment Circulator - free shuttle route introduced 8/1/2013, between Rosemont CTA station and the entertainment district southwest of the station. Originally operated by First Transit/Glenview, in 2014 assumed by MV Transportation/Niles.

811/812 - Country Bus - experimental routes introduced 12/9/75 and 10/9/75 respectively, providing weekly service from Kaneville, Elburn, Wasco to shopping areas in the Fox Valley. Routes were discontinued 9/6/80 and 7/1/81, respectively. Operated by Elgin Department of Transportation.

815-817 - Geneva Feeder - three rush hour feeder routes. Route #815 was St. Charles-Geneva, and operated from 11/14/77 to 3/8/85. Route #816 was Northeast Geneva, and operated from 2/13/78 to 6/22/84. And Route #817 was Pepper Valley-Geneva, and was discontinued 7/29/83. Operated under contract by Commuter Bus Systems.

819 - Lisle-Bolingbrook Express - introduced 12/17/79, combined 5/14/82 into route #824.

819-829 - Lisle Feeder - routes #821 through #826 were originally part of the "Ridge Runner" routes, in existence prior to the creation of the RTA. Routes #827-#828-#829 were introduced 2/5/79. Routes #820 was introduced 9/17/84, and route #819 was introduced 6/29/87. Route #819 was discontinued 8/17/2001, replaced with extension of route #820. Route #822 was discontinued 2/7/2010, combined into route #821. And route #823 serving west Bolingbrook was also discontinued 8/17/2001, partially replaced with extension of route #825. Route #824 was discontinued 1/21/2019. Reverse feeder route #829 consists of two separate routes, with service to the Corporetum office complex was introduced 6/24/85. Operated under contract by Commuter Bus Systems until 1985, operated by Star Transportation during next few years. Eventually operated by by Du Page Motor Coach Co./Westmont, which evolved to First Student. Routes #826-#827-#828 were operated by Du Page Motor Coach Co. Glen Ellyn division until around 1995. Service suspended effective 4/13/2020 due to covid-19 pandemic.

830 - Northeast Lisle - introduced 7/11/88, discontinued 6/30/89.