MCRide, MCRide Connect rideshare users to see new fares starting Sunday

Starting Sunday, people who use the McHenry County MCRide dial-a-ride service will have a different fare structure, and MCRide Connect subsidized rideshare service riders will pay a little more for their trip.

County officials have been considering changes to the programs for some time, but the County Board approved the alterations in January, with a March 1 effective date.

Under the new cost structure, people who use the dial-a-ride service will pay $3 for a trip 5 miles or less, $6 for 5 to 10 miles and $9 for over 10 miles, according to county officials. Those eligible for reduced fares would pay $2, $4 and $6, for trips of those lengths.

Riders will have to prove lower-fare eligibility by providing their RTA Reduced Fare, Ride Free, Access Pilot or ADA Paratransit card information, according to a Division of Transportation news release. Those cards also provide discounted rates on public transit throughout the Chicago area.

Previously, a price increase for MCRide took effect Jan. 1, 2024. Seniors, defined as people older than 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 will need to have the RTA permit card to access the reduced MCRide rates.

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.

Assistant Director of Transportation Scott Hennings said previously 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.

County officials said the MCRide changes “will bring the widely used paratransit service more in line with surrounding counties, leading to a more universal method of charging users of the program.”

A regional dial-a-ride system came up during the Illinois transit bill discussions last year, and the RTA has heard from many agencies that they would like that, officials have said.

MCRide Connect launched in 2024 and provides a subsidy for rides on rideshare apps like Uber and UZURV.

Riders in that program will see two major changes starting Sunday, including that riders will be limited to 60 subsidized trips per month, down from the current cap of eight rides per day.

And riders will pay an additional dollar of base fare. Riders will pay the first $5 of their ride, with the county paying the next $15. Riders will then be responsible for anything over $20, in addition to ride surcharges and driver tips.

Previously, riders paid the first $4, the county paid the next $16 and then anything after that was up to the rider.

From August 2024 to September 2025, the connect program saw about $278,000 in subsidies spread out over 24,700 rides, according to county records, which indicate that worked out to an average subsidy of $11.24 per ride.

The county also paid $37,010 in administration fees to Uber and UZURV in that time window, which worked out to $1.50 per ride, according to those records.

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

Those interested in an RTA permit can register online at rtachicago.org/riders/free-and-reduced-fare-programs or call 312-913-3110. People can also register in-person at several places in the county including: