Durham Region Transit

Durham Region Transit (DRT) is the regional public transit operator in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto. Its headquarters are at 605 Rossland Rd East in Whitby, Ontario, and there are regional centres in Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa. It was formed by the merger of Ajax/Pickering Transit, Whitby Transit, Oshawa Transit, and Clarington Transit.

Durham Region Transit
Bus 8172 waits at the Ajax GO Station.
SloganMake Life Easy!
FoundedJanuary 1, 2006
HeadquartersWhitby, Ontario
Service areaDurham Region
Service typePublic transit
Fuel typeDiesel
OperatorDurham Region, Pacific Western (Whitby)
Websitewww.durhamregiontransit.com

Overview

DRT's operation is overseen by the Durham Region Transit Commission, consisting of the members of Durham Region Council. In April 2007, a new Durham Region Transit Executive Committee was created to take over day-to-day oversight responsibilities, with the full Commission meeting on a limited basis as needed. The Executive Committee consists of the Regional Chair and one councilor from each of the eight Durham Region municipalities as appointed by the Mayor of each municipality.

DRT is organized into operating divisions mirroring its predecessor systems:

  • Raleigh (originally known as DRT East) serving the City of Oshawa and the Municipality of Clarington
  • Victoria (originally known as DRT Centre) serving the Town of Whitby
  • Westney (originally known as DRT West) serving the Town of Ajax and the City of Pickering
  • North (originally known as DRT North) serving the Townships of Brock, Scugog, and Uxbridge
  • DRT Specialized Services providing service for the disabled

Most of DRT's operational and maintenance services are provided by regional staff who are members of Canadian Auto Workers Local 222.

Whitby initially operated under the terms of an existing Whitby Transit contract with Trentway-Wagar. A new contract that combined Brock, Scugog & Uxbridge operations with Whitby operations was awarded to Trentway-Wagar in 2011. The drivers and maintenance staff were therefore employees of Trentway-Wagar. This contract ended on June 30, 2016.[1]

Routes

On July 28, 2008, DRT introduced a unified route number system using a three digit format, with the first digit indicating the municipality:

  • 100: Pickering
  • 200: Ajax
  • 300: Whitby
  • 400: Oshawa/Courtice
  • 500: Clarington
  • 600: Uxbridge, Scugog, and Brock townships
  • 900: Regional/ Cross-boundary

Service changes

In its first year of operation in 2006, DRT implemented a number of service changes:

  • A common fare across Durham Region including transfer privileges
  • Access to GO Transit bus services operating within Durham Region for a standard DRT fare or transfer
  • Service for the northern communities of Port Perry, Brock, and Uxbridge in the form of community buses operating on specific days of the week
  • Implementation of Fixed-route evening/Sunday service in Ajax and Pickering replacing the former "dial-a-bus" service.
  • Service level improvements on several routes
  • The introduction of several new or extended routes, including:
    • Rush-hour Service along Brock Street/Baldwin Street (Highway 12) to Brooklin
    • Rush-hour Service along Bloor Street and Victoria Street (Durham Regional Road 22) from Oshawa GO to Whitby GO Train Stations
    • Service on Audley Road in Ajax, both south of Bayly Street and north of Kingston Road
    • Service along Townline Road in eastern Oshawa and Courtice
    • Weekend service to Whitby and Oshawa GO Transit stations

In 2007, the following new services were introduced:

  • 915 Taunton: grid service from Pickering GO Station via Bayly, Westney, Taunton and Simcoe to Durham College/UOIT
  • 916 Rossland : grid service from Ajax GO Station via Westney, Bayly, Harwood, Rossland, Grandview, Taunton, Ritson, Conlin and Simcoe
  • 302 Brock/Brooklin: increased service to Brooklin
  • 20 Westney and 40 Applecroft, and elimination of 23 Nottingham as a separate route
  • 504 Orono/Newcastle: revised to include Newcastle
  • 950 Uxbridge/Port Perry/UOIT: a grid weekday route from Uxbridge and Port Perry to Durham College/UOIT
  • replacement of Whitby dial a ride and shuttle bus service from the GO station with fixed routes

As a consequence of an operational budget shortfall, DRT implemented service cutbacks in December 2007 and March 2008, including cancellation of midday services, reduction in service hours and frequencies, and elimination of its 10 Ajax route.[2]

Rapid transit
DRT Pulse
ParentDurham Region Transit
FoundedJune 29, 2013
LocaleDurham Region
Service areaOshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, Toronto (Scarborough)
Service typebus rapid transit
Routes1
Destinations
FleetNew Flyer Xcelsior
Fuel typeDiesel
WebsiteDurham BRT

There has been some discussion of the possibility of creating a rapid transit line along the Durham Highway 2 corridor. The Durham Region Long Term Transit plan identifies Highway 2 and Taunton Road as higher order corridors where transit services would be especially fast, frequent and include elements such as right-of-way separation, transit priority, and potential for different vehicle technology including light rail.

On June 15, 2007, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced a $17 billion transit plan called MoveOntario 2020. One component of the plan was a bus rapid transit line on Highway 2 between Pickering and Oshawa.[3] In November 2007, Metrolinx recommended[4] a funding package of $82.3 million for a "Quick Win" implementation of a bus rapid transit line along Highway 2. This funding package was approved in full as part of the 2008 provincial budget, and a preliminary BRT implementation is expected to be running within three years.

The first phase of BRT implementation, known as DRT Pulse, began service June 29, 2013, operating on the Ontario Highway 2 corridor between Downtown Oshawa and the University of Toronto Scarborough campus. It runs on 7.5 minute headways during rush hour and 15 minute headways during off-peak hours.[5] Connections to Toronto Transit Commission services are available at U of T Scarborough and connections to GO Transit are available at various points along the line.[6]

The initial phase is similar to the first phase of Viva Rapid Transit, with buses running in existing lanes, while the full implementation will provide dedicated bus-only lanes and utilize transit signal priority to save travel time. These lanes, which incorporate bicycle lanes into their design,[7] are already in use on a section of Kingston Road West in Ajax, and are under construction on Kingston Road near Pickering Town Centre.[8]

The BRT is complemented by improved DRT and GO Transit service along Taunton Road, Rossland Road, Bayly/Bloor/Victoria Streets, and Simcoe Street.[9]

A further advancement of rapid transit is now in the proposal stage; the Highway 2 BRT would eventually be replaced with light rail transit all the way east to Courtice Road in Clarington, and west into Scarborough in Toronto. It would be complemented by two further LRT lines: on Simcoe Street in Oshawa (from Bloor to Highway 407), and on Taunton Road (from Simcoe Street in Oshawa to Whites Road in Pickering). This would be augmented by further BRT on Whites Road and Brock Road in Pickering; Harwood Avenue and Salem Road in Ajax; Brock Street and Baldwin Street in Whitby; Highway 7 from the western Pickering border to Simcoe Street in Oshawa; and Taunton Road westerly beyond Whites Road into Toronto on Steeles Avenue.[10]

Fares

The provincial Minister of Transportation has announced plans to introduce a unified smartcard-based payment system for the entire Greater Toronto Area called "Presto card". DRT will be a participant in this system beginning in winter 2011.

DRT fares on GO Transit buses

DRT tickets, passes, and transfers are accepted on GO buses operating within Durham Region, allowing riders to freely transfer between DRT and GO buses to complete a trip within the region. Full details about this program are available at the DRT site. The following restrictions are of specific interest:

  • Riders wishing to pay cash fares for GO bus service will need to pay the regular GO fare for the applicable zones, not the DRT fare.
  • Trips on GO buses that start or terminate outside of Durham Region are charged the regular GO fare
  • Trips on GO trains are not affected by this program.

The following GO bus routes will still accept DRT tickets, passes (not on PRESTO), U-pass and transfers within the Durham Region:

  • 71 Stouffville (in the Township of Uxbridge)
  • 81 Beaverton/Port Perry/ Whitby
  • 90 Newcastle/Oshawa

Facilities

DRT uses the following maintenance and operational facilities:[11]

Raleigh Division:

Address: 710 Raleigh Avenue, Oshawa
Coordinates: 43°52′57″N 78°49′43″W
Opened: 1965 (original) 1980 (GO Transit expansion)
Facilities: bus storage, maintenance and servicing for DRT (GO Transit no longer operates out of this location 2012-13)

Whitby Works Satellite Division - Trentway-Wagar / Coach Canada:

Address: 1559 Victoria Street East, Whitby
Coordinates: 43°51′51.7″N 78°54′21″W
Facilities: bus storage, maintenance and repairs

Westney Division:

Address: 110 Westney Road South, Ajax
Coordinates: 43°50′43″N 79°02′28″W
Opened: 1988
Facilities: bus storage, maintenance and repairs

Pickering Works Satellite Division (Discontinued Late Aug 2014)

Address: 2570 Tillings Road, Pickering
Coordinates: 43°52′26″N 79°05′33″W
Facilities: Previously used for bus storage only. DRT discontinued their use of space at this location Late August 2014; buses were transferred to Westney and/or Raleigh divisions to compensate. Now City of Pickering Operations Centre.

History

DRT was formed in January 2006 through an amalgamation of existing municipal transit systems in Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, and Clarington (Bowmanville). The systems were transferred to the regional government along with the legal authority to operate public transit in the local municipalities. This required approval by both Durham Region Council as well as four out of eight local municipal councils consisting of at least 50% of the population of the Region. The approval process took several years, with final approval for the amalgamation given by Durham Region Council on February 9, 2005. The remainder of 2005 was spent preparing for the merger. DRT assumed its responsibilities and inherited the equipment and facilities of its predecessor systems effective January 1, 2006.

On October 5, 2006, members of Local 222 began a legal strike action against DRT. All services were suspended other than those operated by Trentway-Wagar in Whitby. Limited specialized service continued via the use of contracted taxis. On October 29, a tentative settlement was announced, and full service resumed on November 3.

Previous systems

Public transit service in Durham Region has a long history prior to the creation of DRT, dating back to the 19th century. The list below shows predecessor transit systems in each municipality:

Pickering

Ajax

Whitby

Oshawa

Clarington

  • Clarington Transit 2002-2005
  • Specialized Service provided by Handi-Transit 1974-2005
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See also

References
  1. "Durham Region Transit March 2011 meeting". Durham Region Transit. 2011-03-01. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
  2. "Durham Region Transit Identifies Low Performing Routes for Service Adjustments". Durham Region Transit. 2007-12-03. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  3. Premier of Ontario Archived 2007-07-09 at the Wayback Machine Background - MoveOntario 2020 Projects
  4. Metrolinx 2nd Win Quick Win Projects
  5. "DRT Introduces New drt PULSE Service to Scarborough". Region of Durham. Durham Region Transit. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  6. "DRT Pulse Map" (PDF). Durham Region Transit. Region of Durham. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  7. "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Bus-only and Bicycle Lanes". Highway 2 Transit Priority Measures Class EA and Design. Region of Durham. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  8. "Reserved Lanes". Works. Region of Durham. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  9. "With the Arrival of PULSE Service, DRT and GO Transit Focus Their 'One Fare' Agreement". Region of Durham. Durham Region Transit. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-01-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Durham Region Transit Service Strategy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-05-06. Retrieved 2006-01-07.
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