Will County Board received an informational update on the county’s Access Will County dial‑a‑ride paratransit service during its meeting Tuesday, with staff reporting record monthly ridership, same‑day registration in many cases, and a multi‑year plan to expand coverage to additional townships.

The program’s mobility manager, Colin Phillips, told the board the service “has grown a bit over the past couple of years” and that most trips are provided by PACE paratransit vehicles under a county contract supported by federal funding through the Regional Transportation Authority and AgeGuide. Phillips said the program exceeded the national standard for transit recovery after the pandemic and that the county set a record in September by delivering “a good amount — over 1,400 rides in one month.”

Phillips said the program now averages about 14,000 rides annually and that, because of its structure and local partnerships, county staff can often register eligible riders and schedule trips quickly: “If someone contacts me in the morning by that afternoon [they are] able to start scheduling rides for the next day.” He explained that registration procedures vary across neighboring programs and that Access Will County has prioritized balancing verification with accessibility so residents do not have to travel to Chicago offices for certification.

Elaine Bottomley, a member of the Access Will County team, told the board the county has budgeted for three townships to join in 2026: Wheatland Township, DuPage Township (which has agreed to dissolve its existing township program and join the county system), and New Lenox Township (which did not previously have a PACE dial‑a‑ride program). Bottomley said those inclusions are covered in the draft county budget and that the county intends to pay for service in those townships in 2026.

Staff described a phased approach to folding additional local services into the countywide system. Phillips and Bottomley said negotiations are underway with Central Will Dial‑A‑Ride to transfer management and subsidies to the county. Under the tentative funding plan they described, Central Will would pay 100% of its costs in year one (2026) while the county manages service; the townships’ subsidy would then phase down (80/20 in year two, 60/40 in year three, and so on) until Will County assumes full financial responsibility after five years.

Board members raised cost and coverage questions. One member asked whether the service, for short trips, would ever be more expensive to the county than alternatives such as ride‑hail services; Phillips answered that the $2/$4 fare structure (typically $2 for one‑way trips within a township and $4 for one‑way trips outside the township) and the county’s contracts with PACE and taxi providers keep costs lower for many riders. He said the averaging cost to the county per trip is roughly in the mid‑teens of dollars, though actual fares paid by riders are typically $2–$4.

Other discussion covered eligibility and geography. Phillips emphasized that Access Will County serves Will County residents age 16 and older and people with disabilities; the program’s service area sometimes extends slightly into neighboring Cook County so county riders can reach nearby medical providers, but Cook County residents are not eligible to use Access Will County.

Bottomley said phase two of the program — expansion of service hours to include evenings and weekends — is a future goal but not something being pursued immediately. She said townships that choose to retain their own programs may continue to do so and that the countywide system is intended to increase options for residents rather than replace township services in every case.

The presentation was informational and no board vote was required. The update included handouts and maps showing ridership heat maps, invoices from PACE outlining funding splits, and a proposed timeline for integration.