Pace-Suburban Bus Service

I just moved back to my home town of Elgin from Chicago after 15yrs. Big changes in Elgin. But what happened to the Pace bus terminal downtown? It’s completely trashed! The SMOKERS have taken over! I’ve been taking pictures of the filth every week. I made the mistake of walking into the terminal during rush hour and had a MAJOR asthema attack from all the loser Idiots smoking EVERYWHERE, even right up against the entrance door. Even the Idiot bus drivers that smoke were standing right outside their buses smoking. You walk through and you can see it looks like a filthy street from the south side of Chicago. Hundreds of butts line the entire concrete platform. The smell… the trash… how ghetto! The cloud of smoke is terrible. I wish I could post the pics ive taken in the past 3 weeks. They’ll be on my facebook page anyway. Moms with children, our school aged kids, elderly and people with health issues walk through there daily. SHAME ON YOU PACE AND ELGIN. Thanks for making me ashamed for living here and regret moving back! Joe Luna

First, I’d like to say that the Pace Bus system has managed to get me where I need to go in the snow. The drivers are pretty friendly (sometimes overly so) and the buses (for the most part) are clean enough.
I took away three stars because:
1. YOU CANNOT BUY A TICKET AT THE BUS TERMINAL THE DAY YOU REQUEST IT!!! I went to buy a bus pass and was told to come back the next day with cash. They do not accept debit or credit cards and they do not keep the tickets/​passes on site. I repeat: they do NOT keep the tickets/​passes at the bus station!!! :sigh:
2. You have to have exact change for the bus, but there are no change machines at the bus terminal and they do not give change. You can order tickets/​passes online, but then you have to wait a few days for it to show up in the mail.
The bus terminal has a skylight, which lights it pretty well on sunny days, but on an overcast day– the ambient lighting is so dark the terminal is very somber.
SUGGESTIONS FOR PACE:
1. Install automatic ticket machines in the terminal that accept cards and/​or cash so people can buy bus passes the day they need them.
2. Adjust the lighting in the terminal so that it is bright and inviting, even on an icky winter day.
3. Put in a change machine so people can get change for bills larger than $ 1.
Pace could surely increase the amount of passengers if it weren’t such a hassle to ride the bus!