People who use McHenry County’s MCRide dial-a-ride service and MCRide Connect, a subsidized rideshare program launched in 2024, might be paying a little more for their rides in the next couple of months.

The county has been considering changes to the fare structure, but fares would look different on MCRide, and riders would pay more on MCRide Connect.

People who use the dial-a-ride service would pay $3 for a trip under 5 miles, $6 for 5 to 10 miles and $9 for over 10 miles, according to county records. Those eligible for reduced fares would pay $2, $4 $6, for trips of those lengths.

Riders would have to prove lower fare eligibility by providing their RTA Reduced Fare, Ride Free or ADA Paratransit card number to the call center when they register, according to county documents.

MCRide Connect already has those parameters in place, though county records indicate those on WIC – a federal food aid program for women, infants and children – will be eligible for the Connect subsidy starting this year.

Previously, a price increase for MCRide took effect Jan. 1, 2024. Seniors, defined as people over 60, and those with disabilities paid a base fare of $2, and all other riders paid a base fare of $4. After the first 5 miles, all riders paid an extra 25 cents per mile.

Seniors would need to have an RTA reduced fare, ride free or ADA Paratransit card to access the reduced MCRide rates.

Assistant Director of Transportation Scott Hennings said the current fare structure has been in place since MCRide began in 2012. Hennings said it “worked fine,” but the county has been trying to align its program with that of neighboring counties. Hennings said if there were movement toward a more regional dial-a-ride program, it would be easier to implement if the fare structures were more similar.

The idea of a more regional dial-a-ride came up during the transit bill legislation in Springfield, Hennings said, adding the RTA has heard from many agencies that they would like to see that.

County borders are barriers to where people want to go, Hennings said. For instance, Elgin is a big destination for medical trips, but there are “a lot of impediments” to getting people from McHenry County into Kane County, Hennings said. Officials were hopeful the new Northern Illinois Transit Board, or NITA – the entity that will replace the RTA under the state’s new transportation legislation – would focus on developing a more regional dial-a-ride program.

The county in 2024 launched MCRide Connect, which provides subsidized rides on rideshare apps like Uber and UZURV.

County officials are proposing a structure in which riders would pay the first $5, the county would pay the next $15 and riders are responsible for anything over $20, in addition to rideshare surcharges and driver tips.

Among the bigger changes is having the rider pay an additional dollar upfront. Previously, riders paid the first $4, the county paid the next $16 and riders paid anything over $20.

“We’re basically just asking the rider to pay an additional dollar and for the county to pay one dollar less,” Hennings said.

Also proposed is a new cap on the number of rides a person can take. Riders would be limited to 60 subsidized trips per month, different from the current limit of eight rides per day. Hennings said the new cap would make sense and limit the county’s financial exposure.

County officials have said the cost per ride has soared since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The changes are slated to be voted on by the full county board at its Jan. 20 meeting, according to county records. If the changes are approved for both programs, they are slated to kick in March 1.