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The Town of Dundee’s Journey in Kane program will continue for another six to nine months, although it has not yet received funding assistance from any of the villages where seniors and disabled people use the transportation service.
Dundee County Executive Arin Thrower said the County Board decided this week to allocate $100,000 to keep Ride in Kane available.
“We expect to continue the work for at least six to nine months as we explore options and potential transition plans,” Thrower said.
Ride in Kane is operated through Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority. Dundee Township registers passengers and arranges pick-up and drop-off for residents, officials said.
It started as a Dundee Township Park District service in the 1990s but was moved to Dundee Township’s jurisdiction in 2007 because the program did not fit the park district’s mission. The villages of Carpentersville, East Dundee, West Dundee and Sleepy Hollow initially agreed to fund the program through an intergovernmental agreement, but that ended after the first year.
Thrower said ride costs in Kane have increased over the past six months, with rates nearly doubling in some cases. County officials estimate the cost of providing the service in 2024-25 will be $148,000, compared to $65,780 in 2023.
Figures show an estimated 300 people use Ride in Kane every month.
Considering limiting or stopping the service due to increasing costs, the district chose to first apply to the villages within the district for financial contribution based on the number of passengers.
“So far, none of the villages have committed to funding RIK, but I look forward to continuing discussions with them in the near future,” Thrower said. “I know our village leaders understand the importance of this program and many of their residents depend on RIK for medical trips and to get to work.”
When Thrower approached East Dundee officials earlier this week, the idea of Kane County taking over the program came up, along with other options available to the town.
“My director of programs and administration and I will be meeting with representatives of the Kane County RIK in the next few weeks to see if we can pass some of the passenger costs to them and to learn more about why the program spending has recently tripled,” Thrower said.
“We are also meeting with the Dundee County Mental Health Board to see if a small portion of the budget funds could be used to support our mentally disabled cyclists.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
