PACE Transit Services is proposing route changes to five local bus routes, an addition of two routes, and a termination of one route following a large study of rider habits conducted beginning back in 2017.

The changes, which, if approved or modified after public input, will be finalized and go into effect in August. Six public hearings have been held at various public places in the community, the last on Feb. 18.

The proposed restructuring service changes impact Routes 215, 225, 226, 422, and 423, add Route 424, and discontinue Routes 210 and 421.

One terminated route, Route 421, provides service to the Northfield campus, among other stops. This could cause problems for students who rely on PACE bus service to get to or from school each day.

The changes made to the other fiveroutesvaryinsignificance.Some are simply minor modifications, while others are adding or removing stops and even changing the starting and ending stops on the route.

“[The restructuring plans] are meant to address underperforming services and reallocate services to more productive routes,” said Pace Senior Planner Christian Turner.

Many PACE routes are inefficient and don’t make a whole lot of sense geographically. Route

423, for example, serves two distinct markets—riders traveling east-west from the Linden CTA in Wilmette to the Glenview Metra Station, and riders traveling north-south between the Harlem CTA and the Glen Town Center in North Glenview.

PACE’s rider tendency study contained more than 2,500 surveys and officials held four public open houses to receive public input on North Shore transit.

PACE claims to have taken into account the needs of students in the area, though not all students seem to be unaffected. One of the proposed routes, Route 422, would provide servicetotheNorthfieldcampus,but would not guarantee on-time arrival each morning like the current route does.

Glenbrook South High School in Glenview seems to be the school most impacted by the proposed changes. Students currently use Route 210, which would be phased out. The new route plan for GBS students, according to parents who attended the Feb. 18 public hearing, would not guarantee on-time arrival in the morning and would not give students enough time to make it to the stop after school.

If you use PACE services to get to or from school, be sure to keep up with the changes to avoid any confusion regarding your route.