Latest news with #Pace
UPI
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Lee Pace: Brother Day disillusioned with the Empire in 'Foundation' S3
1 of 4 | Lee Pace stars in "Foundaton." New episodes air Fridays. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+ NEW YORK, July 18 (UPI) -- The Hobbit and Guardians of the Galaxy actor Lee Pace says Season 3 of Foundation has a different feel than the previous two chapters of the critically acclaimed sci-fi drama. New episodes of the adaptation of Isaac Asimov's book series air Fridays on Apple TV+. The show follows a group of scientists who try to save humanity by rebuilding civilization on a remote planet amid the fall of the Galactic Empire, which is ruled by a genetic dynasty of three clones -- Pace's Brother Day, Terrence Mann's Brother Dusk and Cassian Milton's Brother Dawn. "He doesn't want any relationship with any of them. He's very disillusioned with the entire idea of Empire, that he's an emperor and he wants to get as far away from the jerks in the palace as he possibly can," Pace, 46, told UPI about Brother Day in a recent Zoom interview. "He wants to hang out in the garden and get stoned and eat and just be fat and happy," Pace explained. Answer the call. A new episode of #Foundation is now streaming. Apple TV (@AppleTV) July 18, 2025 "He doesn't want to sit there and play politics on the throne anymore and he hates the people who think that they can. He's not someone who thinks that it's worth trying to control anything. You can't do it. Not even the robot can do it. ... Might as well just relax. If things are going to fall apart, they're going to fall apart. There's no saving them." The Crow alum Laura Birn, 44, plays Demerzel, a humanoid robot and the trio's most trusted adviser. "I'm excited to explore the relationship between Demerzel and Day. I just find it endlessly interesting and surprising and disturbing this year," Birn said. "It's the part that I always wait most for when I get the new scripts, like, 'What's happening between them and this weird little dysfunctional family?'" Pace agreed. "i always find that really interesting and we have a great time working together, too, so it's such a fun dynamic to see: 'Well, what hands do we have this season? How is this game going to play out?'" he said. Season 3 sees the introduction of The Mule (Pilou Asbæk), a villain who uses mind control on his foes, but Pace said Brother Day doesn't even really know he exists. "He's too far away and insignificant," the actor added. "The Mule is the big instigator of the season and a very huge disruptor, but one of the things that's so interesting to me about Foundation is that it's not a story about battles. You might think that's the case from the beginning of this season where you've got a great, big, powerful Foundation and you've got a great, big, powerful Empire. You think they're going to clash in some way." But that's not actually where the story goes, Pace emphasized. "It's about the center falling out and then this crumbling over here and then that group kind of having a different opinion and eating each other," he said. "It's like the disintegration from lots of places. That's what chaos does to order," Pace added. "That's what The Mule is. He is the invention of chaos." Demerzel -- on the other hand -- thrives on mayhem. "The chaos and the destruction that he brings is kind of like another crisis to attack, to solve, but, at the same time, there's this weird possibility of freedom or something new or something unexpected for her," Birn noted. "She doesn't have clear answers," the actress added. "She's insecure of which direction is the right direction. Is her programming sending one direction or could it be this and that? And what happens? Her mind exploding for all these options is part of what The Mule offers for her. It is like the possibility to see things differently, so it definitely changes her course." So, is Foundation a cautionary tale for viewers in 2025? "I wouldn't want to tell anyone how to watch the show," Pace said. "The show is such a feast," he added. "You can pick and choose and think about things that resonate with you." The fact that the brilliant Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) has devised a way to protect and store all human knowledge on a safe planet is a positive message to impart to audiences. "At the center of the show is this idea of hope that Hari Selden proposes that there is a mathematical likelihood that we will survive this," Pace said. "It's not a zero chance that we will," he added. "There's a hope inside the show that I really appreciate. There's a sense of, 'You can bet on humans' ability to continue to travel on.'" Birn said she thinks her character's existence also makes the show relevant to people grappling with real-life issues connected to artificial intelligence. "We've created AI. We've taught AI everything it knows. But not even the ones who are creating it now have an idea where it will evolve and what happens if, suddenly, there's another species that's equal to us or even dominant," she added. "It's more than being afraid of AI, but more being a little bit afraid of how we will treat that other species, if it evolves." The cast also includes Lou Llobell, Cherry Jones, Brandon P. Bell, Synnøve Karlsen, Cody Fern, Tómas Lemarquis, Alexander Siddig and Troy Kotsur.
Perth Now
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Perth Now
2025 Mercedes-AMG C43 almost $20k cheaper despite more power, equipment
The Mercedes-AMG C43 has received an $18,500 price cut, even as it has gained extra performance and standard equipment. Available to order now, the updated C43 is priced at $123,800 before on-road costs. Its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine now produces 310kW of power – up 10kW – and 500Nm of torque. It features a 48V mild-hybrid system, a nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, and can do the 0-100km/h dash in 4.3 seconds. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Mercedes-AMG previously quoted a 4.6-second sprint time for the C43, which launched here in 2023. Standard equipment for the C43 now includes: Night Package II (dark grille and badging) AMG Dynamic Plus package AMG Performance steering wheel in Nappa leather, Microcut microfibre AMG Performance Seat Package High End Metal Structure centre console, dash trim AMG Track Pace 'Following the strong demand for the limited Mercedes-AMG C 43 Edition R launched last year, the base model Mercedes-AMG C 43 4MATIC receives performance-oriented upgrades to its carefully edited standard specification and is now available at a sharper price point,' the company explained in a release. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Last year's Edition R saw the C43 gain all of this extra equipment – if at the expense of some other accoutrements – for a lower price tag of $112,600 before on-road costs. The limited edition model swapped Mercedes' Digital Light headlights with Adaptive High Beam Assist Plus for regular LED headlights with adaptive high-beam, and lost stop-and-go assist for its adaptive cruise control, augmented reality for its satellite navigation, and heat- and noise-insulating acoustic glazing. These features remain on the C43, as do the following: 20-inch alloy wheels Panoramic sunroof Rain-sensing wipers Power-folding exterior mirrors Proximity entry with push-button start Power boot-lid Autonomous emergency braking Blind-spot monitoring Lane-keep assist Safe exit warning Surround-view camera Tyre pressure monitoring Semi-autonomous parking assist Heated, power-adjustable front seats with memory Ambient lighting Wireless phone charger 11.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system Apple CarPlay and Android Auto 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster The C43 is Mercedes-AMG's rival to the Audi S5 and BMW M340i xDrive, which remain more affordable even after this price cut at $114,900 and $117,600 before on-roads, respectively. The Mercedes has them beat in terms of power, pumping out 40kW more than the S5 and 25kW more than the M340i, but the BMW matches it in torque and the Audi produces an extra 50Nm. The C43 slots in under the C63 S E Performance, which gains a plug-in hybrid system and takes on the BMW M3. MORE: Everything Mercedes-AMG C43
Tom's Guide
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I interviewed the cast of 'Foundation' season 3 — here's my 10 biggest takeaways for the upcoming season
By the time you're reading this the "Foundation" season 3 premiere might already be live on Apple TV Plus. Don't worry if you haven't seen it though, because this article will be spoiler-free. I was recently given the opportunity to interview the cast of the Apple TV Plus sci-fi epic, which is based on Isaac Asimov's acclaimed book series of the same name, so I've actually already seen most of the upcoming season. The good news? It's pretty good, and I've been told the finale should be spectacular. But in the meantime, here's what I learned from my conversations with the cast of "Foundation" — including stars Lee Pace, Jared Harris and Lou Llobell — about what you need to know going into the season. Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from those conversations. To make things easier, I've organized them by the actor (or actress) I discussed the topic with. By now, you've possibly heard that Pace's portrayal of the Cleonic Emperor, Brother Day, is a bit different this season. At the very least, you've probably seen the shirtless image of him at the top of the article. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. "We've had some very serious Cleons and I think it was about time to see a goofy one." So of course, I had to ask him about how you handle major changes to a character you're already so familiar with playing. 'I guess the biggest adjustment I had to make was that everything had to be different," Pace told me. "He's a character who is rejecting the position he holds. He's disillusioned. He doesn't care about the culture of the emperors. He's just a private person – he wants to mind his own business, which the emperors never do." This version of Brother Day also has no time for Demerzel, the ancient robot who watches over the empire from behind the throne. "He certainly doesn't want anything to do with the robot, who's all over him," Pace continued. Ultimately, he just wanted to enjoy the opportunity. "I wanted to have a good time with him, Pace said. "I wanted to play with him. We've had some very serious Cleons and I think it was about time to see a goofy one.' One character who's directly impacted by Pace's Day deciding he doesn't want to be Emperor is Brother Dawn, played by Cassian Bilton. So I asked him about what's different about his portrayal of Dawn this season, a character I described as quite easy to mold. 'I think that malleability comes as a consequence of youth, Bilton told me. "In season 1, [Dawn] has no idea who he is, and if he does have any idea, he doesn't like it. In season 2, you start to see a Dawn slowly learning who he is, and is developing a confidence. I think when you meet Dawn in season 3, he is crystal clear on who he is and crystal clear on his goals.' But just because our Dawn this season is self-assured doesn't mean this sci-fi drama will avoid ... well, the drama. 'At the same time," Bilton continued, "and this is a testament to our writers, a great thing to watch on television is someone being unbelievably clear about the plan and the plan going so fucking wrong.' It's not just Brother Dawn that's affected by Day's delinquency though. Brother Dusk, the third part of the Cleonic triumvirate, also feels the consequences of his younger brother's actions this season. 'At 100 years old, you die," Terrence Mann, who plays Dusk in the show, explained to me about his character. "You walk into the light and you're turned to ash. So we all know that's coming for all of us." "But my whole thrust for this season was to make sure that I got Dawn into a position so that he could take the middle throne because Lee's Day was gone," Mann continued. "So I had planned since the day [Dawn] was born to put things in place that would assure that he would be able to ascend the throne, but I've only got 14 days to do it now. So everything becomes desperate and urgent for Dusk, which makes him go and ask, 'Can I live just a little bit longer?'' Tying all the Cleons together, though, is Demerzel, the ancient robot who serves as mother, servant and at times lover to the various clones of Cleon I who rule the galaxy. So I had to ask Lara Birn, who plays the immaculate looking centuries-old robot, if she thinks her character actually loves her captors/charges. 'I truly think she loves them, she said. "But then again, she's programmed to love them. So how do we know if it's only her duty or if there's real [feelings]. But I think she feels genuine love for them. She raises them from babies. She's the only person they have and they're the only person she has. She's a very lonely character, as are they. "For example, she continued, "this season she makes a decision that's not so rational but she does it for [the Cleons] because she cares. But then again, can she explore love freely? No. She's programmed to do it. But I do believe in her love and I do believe they really mean something to each other. They're trapped together. Their love is destructive but I do believe it's love." If you watched "Foundation" season 2, you know that The Mule is the new villain of season 3. But we were still introduced to the character in season 2, and at that point, the character was played by Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt. Now, though, Persbrandt has left "Foundation" and taking over The Mule is Danish actor Pilou Asbæk. When I asked him about taking over the role, he told me (mostly) tongue in cheek that there was some national pride fueling his performance this season. 'If you've worked a few years in this industry, you know that's how it is [taking over for another actor], he said with a smile on his face. "That said, I know Mikael Persbrandt. He's a Scandinavian brother of mine. He's from Sweden and I'm from Denmark. And us Scandinavians have always been fighting a little bit." "So on one hand," he contemplated, "I'm so thankful I'm stepping in the footstep of the giant Persbrandt. On the other hand, I can't wait to meet him and go, 'Well, you know what the Swedes do well? The Danes do better.'' After getting the fun question out of the way, I pressed Asbæk on the substance of playing The Mule. Some of that conversation I'm saving for a future article, as it pertains to a later episode in season 3, but I will share this bit about what he said about what draws him to playing The Mule. "For me, I personally love when I can find some vulnerability in the villains," he declared. "No one is born a villain; it's something you become. Life, she treats you shitty sometimes sadly enough, and I think that's the case with The Mule." Lou Llobell's Gaal Dornick is probably the most integral character in "Foundation." It's probably reductive (and definitely sacrilegious) to say this, but if there's a Luke Skywalker-like character in "Foundation," it's her. But if she's Luke, then arguably The Mule is Vader. No, there are no daddy issues to speak of between the two, but they're both representative of the possible paths two people with similar powers and backgrounds can take. 'I think she definitely sees similarities," Llobel said of her character and The Mule. "And I think that scares her even more. I think it shows her that she has to be careful with her abilities because it can turn dark and dangerous. They're certainly similar. They're kind of in parallel. But it's like dark and light. It's even the way they convince people and they use their powers. They do the same thing but very differently.' I've written about this already, but if there's one thing you need to know about season 3, it's that you need to put down the phone while watching. Otherwise, you'll miss Llobel and Academy Award winner Troy Kotsur acting using American Sign Language. "I learnt how to sign for the show," Llobel told me when I asked her what it was like to act with a deaf scene partner. "It was an amazing experience, Troy is incredible. It was such a different experience." "I think it's come out really brilliantly," she added about their scenes together. "They're some of my favorite scenes." At this point, you've probably put together that 'the big news of the season," as Jared Harris put it to me, is The Mule arriving as the show's new villain. And unlike Foundation or Empire, The Mule brings something to the table that Harris' Hari Seldon cannot account for. "The Mule largely invalidates psychohistory," Harris explained to me when I asked him about The Mule. "It's not effective if you have a predictive model [psychohistory] that's based on analyzing the behavior of large groups of people, if the behavior of the large groups of people is controlled by one person." So when I asked him how that affected his portrayal of Seldon this season, he was able to put it in succinct terms: "It's that gradual realization that the character [Hari] has lost control of the narrative.' 'The being considered as a godlike figure was a necessary stage in season 2, Harris explained to me when I asked him about Hari's godlike status in "Foundation." "I think at this point, he's [Hari] irritated by that, and he no longer wants that. He's expressing a desire to reconnect with his humanity.' When I then followed up that question by asking if the arrival of The Mule shakes the version of Hari that's in the vault to his core, Harris posited that it's the other version of Hari that shakes the character more. 'I think that what shook him more was the realization that he's been edited by corporeal Hari," Harris elaborated. "That this information has been denied to him deliberately, and that he's a puppet. He's a piece on a chessboard. He's not the puppetmaster, he's not the grandmaster chess player, he's just a piece on the chessboard. And for somebody with that level of ego, that's going to shatter your sense of self. That's what's going to create the existential crisis." In short, it's not The Mule that concerns Hari so much this season. "The Mule is actually sort of a recovery process for him, Harris explained, surprising me a bit, "because The Mule's ability only extends to humans, and he [Hari] doesn't have a body. He's probably the only entity that's immune to what The Mule can do.' If you're not already subscribed to Apple's streaming service, sign up now before the "Foundation" season 3 premiere. Right now, you can score Apple TV Plus for just $4.99 a month for two months from Prime Video. This deal is exclusive to Amazon Prime members and is only available when signing up through Prime Video subscriptions. It'll also be gone once Prime Day ends today (July 11), so act fast. 50% OFF! Right now is the perfect time to get Apple TV Plus. You get hit original shows like "Severance," "Ted Lasso," "Slow Horses" and (of course) "Foundation." You also get original movies like "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Napoleon," with "F1: The Movie" coming later this year. This deal is only available for Prime members through Prime Video, though, and it ends once Prime Day is over. So act fast. DEAL ENDS JULY 11! If that deal doesn't speak to you, or you already have Apple TV Plus, make sure to check out all the other Prime Day streaming service deals right now and save some serious cash. Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made. Here's what he's been watching lately:
Newsweek
05-07-2025
- Newsweek
Philadelphia Bar Mass Shooting Leaves Multiple Injured: What to Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Multiple people were wounded in a mass shooting inside a South Philadelphia restaurant and bar during the Fourth of July weekend. Newsweek has contacted the Philadelphia Police Department for comment via email. Why It Matters The Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a nonprofit research group, defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot in a single incident, not including the shooter. As of Saturday, at least 200 mass shootings have taken place in the United States this year, according to the GVA. Meanwhile, Saturday's shooting is at least the seventh in Pennsylvania this year. Six of the year's mass shootings count as mass murders when four or more people are killed in a single incident not counting the shooter. Gun violence has killed at least 7,468 people in the U.S. this year, while more than 13,452 have been injured, the GVA reports. What To Know The shooting occurred at around 3:50 a.m. local time on Saturday at the 7 Elements Restaurant Bar and Lounge on 11th Street, between Washington Avenue and Ellsworth Street. Philadelphia Police Inspector D F Pace told NBC10 that officers responding to a report of one person shot inside the restaurant arrived to find at least three people with gunshot wounds. Those victims were taken to area hospitals. Pace initially told the local news station that at least eight more victims from the shooting were taken to hospitals, bring the total number of victims to 11. However, police later clarified that there were eight victims total since some were counted twice. Pace said that at least two of the victims are in critical condition, including an apparent security guard who was shot in the face. Investigators are not sure if the business was open at the time of the shooting, Pace said. He said that it appeared to be closed when officers arrived. Pace added that businesses in Philadelphia should not have been open at the time the shooting occurred. File photo. Multiple people were injured in a mass shooting at a bar in Philadelphia. File photo. Multiple people were injured in a mass shooting at a bar in Philadelphia. iStock What People Are Saying Philadelphia Police Inspector D F Pace told NBC10: "The most serious injuries were a person working ostensibly as a security guard who was shot in the face and also a woman who was shot in the back. They're both listed in critical condition." He added: "Others are reported to have been shot in the legs, extremities, arms, etcetera, and suffering other non-life-threatening gunshot injuries." What Happens Next? The shooting is under investigation, with police looking at surveillance video and evidence inside the bar and restaurant to determine how many shooters were involved. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call or text the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip through the department's website.
Chicago Tribune
04-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Labor and disability advocates at odds over future of Chicago-area paratransit
Cathleen O'Brien's Logan Square apartment is across the street from the California Blue Line station, close enough that she can hear the trains go by. But O'Brien uses a wheelchair, and the California station isn't accessible. She can't drive. So to get to her work as a therapist — she has two jobs, one at a substance use clinic in Lawndale, and one working with kids on the South Side — O'Brien takes an Uber. She does so using a subsidized program that launched last year through Pace, the suburban bus agency that is responsible for administering federally mandated paratransit throughout the Chicago area, including in the city. Riders like O'Brien, 36, say the rideshare program, which launched in March 2024, has been revolutionary for Chicago-area residents with disabilities. But the practice has put disability advocates at odds with organized labor, which sees the program as a way for Pace to outsource union jobs at taxpayer expense. Pace spent $11.56 million on the subsidized Uber program in 2024 and has spent $8.6 million so far this year, according to payment records reviewed by the Tribune. Some of those payments were made for rides taken during the program's pilot phase prior to March last year. The agency has spent $2.4 million on trips provided during the same time period by Uzurv, a private rideshare service specifically for paratransit riders. To use traditional paratransit, Americans with Disabilities Act-certified riders have to call for reservations a day ahead. Drivers are given a 30-minute window for pickup, so the program can be unreliable if someone needs to make an appointment or arrive at work on time. But the rideshare program means passengers like O'Brien can call a ride just like anybody else. 'This has allowed so much freedom,' O'Brien said. 'The goal of providing services like this is so that disabled people have the same or similar experiences as people without disabilities, and this has really come close to providing that.' The Uber spending comes as the cost of operating ADA paratransit has ballooned due to increased demand; the program had a budget shortfall of $25.5 million last year. Looming over the paratransit budget is the impending $771 million transit fiscal cliff that Chicago-area transit agencies, including Pace, will plunge off next year if state legislators don't allocate them more funding. Pace says it's cheaper to provide ADA paratransit rides via Uber than it is to provide traditional paratransit rides. Use of the rideshare program has increased exponentially since the program's introduction. Last March, when the program launched, riders took about 5,000 rides through the city and the suburbs. This March, there were about 168,000 subsidized rideshare trips, according to data presented at Pace's most recent board meeting. At the direction of its oversight body, the Regional Transportation Authority, the agency is looking at ways to cut rideshare program costs, and is considering raising fares on the program from $2 to $3.25 to match fares for traditional paratransit. The agency is also looking at limiting the number of subsidized rides users can take per month to 30. Currently, there is no limit, although riders pay the difference in fare for any rides that cost more than $30 total. The program has drawn the particular ire of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents traditional paratransit drivers and argues that the program is a way for Pace to outsource union work to gig drivers, who don't get the protections and benefits that come with being an employee, let alone those that come with union membership. 'You're just keeping people living day to day,' said John Coli Jr., secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 727. 'How am I ever going to move up the social ladder?' he said. 'How am I ever going to achieve the American dream?' Local 727 represents about 1,800 paratransit employees, mostly drivers, who work for Pace but are employed by subcontractors, Coli said. The Teamsters want Pace to use Uber only as a last resort, he said. Coli said the union doesn't want paratransit users 'to have to sit at home trapped inside because they can't get a ride.' He said he understands why riders like the convenience of the Uber program. 'If the government was going to pay for my Uber to go to the Sox game on Wednesday, I'd be all about that, too,' Coli said. Disability advocates bristle at what they describe as a tendency to categorize the program as a luxury. 'Disabled people have the right to freedom and to do fun things too, but I'm not using this to go shopping,' O'Brien said. 'This is essential for me.' During the spring legislative session, which wrapped up at the end of May, the Teamsters hoped to win language that would have limited the use of rideshares for paratransit within transit reform legislation mostly focused on averting the fiscal cliff and restructuring the Chicago area's regional transit governing body. But the parties failed to come to an agreement relating to paratransit. And though legislators introduced two different transit reform bills, lawmakers failed to pass either into law. 'My goal was always to try and find some middle point,' said state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, a Chicago Democrat who helped lead transit reform negotiations in the House. 'Unfortunately, that just wasn't something that we could get done by the end of session.' With transit reform still an open issue, the Teamsters say they see an opportunity to renegotiate. And the union has threatened that its support for the transit reform and funding legislation — which lawmakers will need to pass if they want to avoid catastrophic 40% cuts to transit service next year, including cuts to paratransit service — is not to be taken for granted. 'We really are only inclined to want to support a bill that has teeth in limiting the rapid growth of Pace's use of rideshare to outsource its work,' said Pasquale Gianni, the Illinois Teamsters' director of government affairs. Laura Saltzman, transportation policy analyst for Access Living, a disability rights organization, said the group was opposed to any language that would remove access to same day, on-demand paratransit service. Organized labor's demands would have made it functionally impossible for Pace to offer that service, Saltzman said. (The Teamsters dispute this.) 'My community is disabled people, so we need the service to be provided,' Saltzman said. 'I would welcome the service to be provided by labor.' 'I believe in people being paid fairly,' said O'Brien, who is a former employee of Access Living. 'But there has to be a way to accomplish that without cutting a needed service.' When she picks up riders from their dialysis appointments, paratransit driver Enterna Williams turns the heat on or the fan off. Dialysis can make people cold, and Williams wants to make sure the ride back is comfortable for her clients. Sometimes, when clients arrive home, there isn't anyone to help them in, so Williams does. Williams, 36, drives for SCR Medical Transportation, one of Pace's traditional paratransit subcontractors. She's been on the job for a decade. Pace contracts with four companies to provide traditional paratransit service: SCR Medical, MV Transportation, Cook DuPage Transportation and TransDev. Teamsters Local 727 represents drivers at all four companies, including Williams. Another share of paratransit drivers are represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1028. A small portion are Pace employees, according to the organization's executive director, Melinda Metzger. After years as a driver, Williams helped organize a union with the Teamsters, she said, because of concerns over pay and drivers' at-will employment status. Drivers at SCR voted to unionize last year and ratified their first contract after a three-week strike. Williams was making just over $20 an hour before drivers ratified their first contract with SCR last year, she said. Now she makes $24.50, a 20% increase in pay. Like other drivers, Williams went through training to become a paratransit driver. She's subject to random drug tests. She doesn't think that Uber drivers have the same level of training and experience that she and her colleagues have. 'We deserve our clients,' she said. But representatives for the Teamsters said that they are down about 200 jobs at SCR since the summer of 2024, which they attribute to the increased use of Uber for paratransit. SCR did not respond to requests for comment. Metzger, Pace's executive director, said in an interview about the rideshare program that the agency was trying to make the most of limited resources. 'We operate in many different ways because we have a limited budget, and we're trying to do the best we can for both our riders and the taxpayers,' she said. The rideshare program was born in part, Metzger said, because paratransit riders came back to the transit system faster than other riders did after the peak of the pandemic. At the time, Pace didn't have enough paratransit drivers. Offering the rideshare program, she said, freed up space on traditional paratransit. The program was modeled after an existing program in which riders could call taxis as paratransit, which was available only within the city of Chicago. 'This is another choice for our riders,' Metzger said. 'We are very, very supportive of all of our unionized personnel also.' Metzger noted that the costs of the rideshare program represent only a fraction of the agency's total paratransit costs, which were budgeted at nearly $250 million last year. In a statement, Uber spokesperson Josh Gold said the program 'represents a significant step toward improving accessible transportation options for riders with disabilities through greater flexibility and on-demand convenience.' State Sen. Ram Villivalam, a Chicago Democrat and one of the leaders of the transit reform effort in Springfield, said he was 'worried about the sustainability' of the rideshare program. 'We need to ensure that folks with disabilities have access to public transit to get to their job, their doctor, their school,' he told the Tribune after a transit reform rally last month. 'We also need to ensure that there is a sustainable path forward.' 'There were a lot of discussions related to how we maintain the level of service for the community,' Delgado said. Wherever discussions end up, Delgado said, it is important that 'the services that are available to people with disabilities … do not diminish in any way.' But with the transit fiscal cliff fast approaching, paratransit is facing an existential threat. Paratransit is offered, as is legally mandated, in parallel with regular transit service. That means that if Pace or the CTA cut bus service, for instance, paratransit service — including the rideshare program — will be cut too. Pace, along with the CTA and Metra, are in the midst of planning for the possibility of those catastrophic cuts next year. Transit advocates have urged lawmakers to return to Springfield for a special session this summer to pass transit funding before pink slips go out in the fall. So far, legislators have been mum on whether they will.
