DeKALB — An additional bus service to the southern portion of DeKalb will go into effect Oct. 28. The route will operate 18 trips per day, five days per week.

{{tncms-inline alignment=”right” content=”<ul> <li><strong>Children five and under:</strong> Free</li> <li><strong>NIU students/faculty/staff:</strong> Free</li> <li><strong>Senior/disabled/ages 6-17:</strong> .50¢</li> <li><strong>General public:</strong> .25¢</li> </ul> <p>Valid identification, such as OneCards, are required for discounted fares.</p>” id=”4abb70b3-9862-4f29-a985-0c86e5e1ee2f” style-type=”info” title=”Bus fare” type=”relcontent”}}

Route 19 will provide increased access to employment areas along South 7th Street, Fairview Drive, Macom Drive, Harvestore Drive and South 10th Street, according to a proposed transit changes document.

Transit Manager Marcus Cox said increased transit service in the southern portion of DeKalb has always been needed since the area consists of many businesses.

Places of employment within these areas include the Target Distribution Center, the Nestle Distribution Center, Cole Pallet Services Assembly Plant and 3M DeKalb Distribution Center.

Current service to this area is only available on demand to registered riders through the Voluntary Action Center, according to the proposal.

Passengers using this service are encouraged to schedule their trips one to six days ahead, according to the TransVAC brochure.

Riders can schedule a trip within 24 hours or less, but trips aren’t guaranteed.

A one-way fare through TransVac is free for seniors and costs $1 for all other riders.

Departing from the DuSable turnaround, the service will operate Mondays through Fridays.

The route will begin at 4 a.m. and conclude at midnight.

In preparation for Oct. 28, Cox said his department is preparing marketing materials to inform the public about Route 19.

“We’re trying to gather up what we can to let people know when and how the bus will operate,” Cox said. “We’ll have a pamphlet that will show you a map of the route; it’ll show all the stops [and] it’ll show all when [the bus] will be there.