Durham Region Transit
Durham Region Transit (DRT) is the regional public transit operator in Durham Region, east of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are at 605 Rossland Rd East in Whitby, Ontario, and there are regional centres in Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa.
Overview
DRT's operation is overseen by the Durham Region Transit Commission, consisting of the members of Durham Region Council.
DRT is organized into operating divisions mirroring its predecessor systems:
- DRT East servicing the City of Oshawa and the Municipality of Clarington
- DRT Centre servicing the Town of Whitby
- DRT West servicing the Town of Ajax and the City of Pickering
- DRT North servicing 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.
DRT Centre continues to operate under the terms of a pre-existing Whitby Transit contract with Trentway-Wagar expiring in November 2007. DRT Centre drivers and maintenance staff are therefore employees of Trentway-Wagar. DRT North is also a contracted operation.
Routes
Notes:
- Full route maps and schedules are available at the DRT web site.
- Routes in Ajax/Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa, and Clarington are independently numbered as established by predecessor transit systems, with the result that duplicate numbers exist. It is likely that a single unified route numbering system will be created in the future, but no plans have been publicly announced.
- For Ajax and Pickering routes, an M prefix indicates midday and Saturday service. An R indicates rush hour service.
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Pickering
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Whitby
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Oshawa
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Clarington
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Brock
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Scugog
- Community Dial-a-Bus Service
Uxbridge
- Community Bus Service
Service enhancements
Since beginning operations on January 1, 2006, DRT has implemented a number of service enhancements. A full list can be found at the DRT Web Site. Highlights include:
- 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
Core service plans for the period from 2006 to 2010 are available in the DRT service plan. Highlights include:
- Extending the Bloor/Victoria (Durham Regional Road 22) service westward along Bayly Street to Westney Road (Ajax GO Train) and then towards White's Road in Pickering (presently served by Ajax Route 10, and Pickering Routes 3, 5, 6 and 7).
- Extending the Rossland/Taunton services westward to Westney Road, with rush hour service to Markham Road in Toronto, providing connections to York Region Transit and the TTC
- Connecting to York Region Transit and Viva at the future Markham East terminal
- Increasing service frequency on "grid" routes including Townline (Oshawa/Clarington), Thickson, Brock/Baldwin Streets (in Whitby), Westney (Ajax), and Brock Road (in Pickering)
DRT has engaged iTrans Consulting to produce a 2007 Service Plan. Public meetings will be held on the service plan in early January 2007.
Rapid Transit
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.
The DRT Service Strategy report, prepared by ENTRA Consulting prior to the creation of DRT, indicated that a full implementation of higher-order form of transit would be could not be justified in the foreseeable but indicated that elements such as transit priority should be part of the long term DRT plan.
DRT and GO Transit are currently working towards implementing transit priority measures along Highway 2, including queue jump lanes, signal priorities and improved shelter amenities.
Fares
The following table shows DRT's fare structure as of January 1,2007:
| Age group | Cash Fare | 10 Rides | Monthly Pass |
| Adults | $2.50 | $23.75 | $87.50 |
| GO Transit co-fare | $0.65 | $6.25 | $25.00 |
| Seniors (65+) | $1.50 | $15.00 | $35.00 |
| Student- unrestricted | $2.25 | $22.00 | $75.00 |
| Student- restricted | $56.25 | ||
| Child (5-12) | $1.50 | $15.00 | $52.50 |
| Child (under 5) | Free | ||
| ODSP (Disability card) | $35.00 | ||
| Specialized Service | $2.50 | $87.50 |
- restricted student passes are only valid Monday to Friday, 6:30 am to 7:00 pm
The provincial Minister of Transportation has announced plans to introduce a unified smartcard-based payment system for the entire Greater Toronto Area under the name "GTA Farecard." DRT will be a participant in this system beginning in early 2010.
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.
Vehicles
The following fleet roster is as of January 2007:
| Acquired by | Make/Model | Fleet size | Fleet numbers | Year |
| Ajax Transit | New Flyer D40 | 4 | 8026-29 | 1988 |
| Ajax Transit | Orion I | 5 | 8039, 8034-35, 8030-8031 | 1986, 1987, 1988 |
| Ajax Transit | Orion V | 7 | 8022-23, 8020, 8016-17, 8012-13 | 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994 |
| Ajax Transit | Orion VI 
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3 | 8009-11 | 1999 |
| APTA | Orion V | 12 | 8060-61, 8062-65, 8050-55 | 1990 (used), 1992 (used), 2003 |
| Clarington Transit | GM Classic | 2 | 8098, 8099 | 1985, 1987 |
| Clarington Transit | Orion I | 1 | 8117 | 1985 |
| Oshawa Transit | GMC New Look | 3 | 8115, 8147/8150 | 1980, 1981 |
| Oshawa Transit | GM Classic | 3 | 8118-20 | 1986 |
| Oshawa Transit | MCI Classic | 5 | 8124-28 | 1989 |
| Oshawa Transit | Nova LFS
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20 | 8151-52, 8153-60, 8161-68, 8169-70 | 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 |
| Oshawa Transit | Orion I | 3 | 8121-23 | 1987 |
| Oshawa Transit | Orion V | 17 | 8129-32, 8133-36, 8137-45 | 1990, 1991, 1992 |
| Pickering Transit | MTB Glider | 2 | 8037-38 | 1997 |
| Pickering Transit | Orion I | 9 | 8044, 8040/8042-43, 8036, 8033, 8024-25, 8021 | 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 |
| Pickering Transit | Orion V | 4 | 8018-19, 8014-15 | 1992, 1994 |
| Pickering Transit | Orion VI
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8 | 8001-08 | 1999 |
| Whitby Transit | Champion Solo | 1 | 8320 | 1998 |
| Whitby Transit | MCI Classic | 4 | 8319, 8307-08, 8317 | 1988, 1989, 1992 |
| Whitby Transit | Nova LFS
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6 | 8324-29 | 2004 |
| Whitby Transit | Orion I | 5 | 8301-04/8306 | 1987 |
| Whitby Transit | Orion V | 17 | 8311-15,8316, 8318, 8330-32 | 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997 |
| Whitby Transit | Orion VI
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2 | 8321-22 | 1998 |
| DRT | Nova LFS
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3 | 8171, 8172-8173 | 2005, 2006 |
| DRT | Orion V | 1 | 8066 | 1994 (used), arrived 2006 |
| DRT | Nova LFS
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7 | TBD | 1999 (used), arrived 2007 |
| DRT | New Flyer D40LF
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30 | 30 ordered 2006 | delivery expected early 2007 |
| DRT | New Flyer D40LF
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15 | 15 ordered 2007 in a joint order with other systems | delivery date unknown |
| Fleet Size | 150 |
Notes:
denotes low floor with wheelchair access- On each line of the table, groups of fleet numbers, separated by commas, correspond to the years listed on that line.
- Ajax Transit and Pickering Transit vehicles were operated by the Ajax Pickering Transit Authority (APTA) prior to the creation of DRT.
- Ajax Transit, APTA, and Pickering Transit-sourced buses are generally operated throughout DRT West (Ajax and Pickering). Whitby and Oshawa-sourced buses generally stay in their home city. However, this is likely to change as new equipment begins to displace older equipment.
In addition, there are 26 Specialized Service cutaway vans used as flag buses and for specialized services. Five new vans are on order.
Facilities
DRT operates the following maintenance and operational facilities:
- DRT East - Farwell Street Garage, Oshawa
- DRT West - Westney Road Garage, Ajax
- DRT Centre - Trentway-Wagar operated facility, Whitby
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 nineteenth century. The list below shows predecessor transit systems in each municipality:
Pickering
- Bay Ridges Dial-A-Bus - Government of Ontario 1973
- Pickering Transit 1970s-2001
- Ajax Pickering Transit Authority 2001-2005
Ajax
- Charterways Transportation Limited 1969-1973
- Ajax Transit 1973-2001
- Ajax Pickering Transit Authority 2001-2005
Whitby
- Burley Bus Lines
- Charterways Transportation Limited
- Whitby Transit ?-2005
- Specialized Service provided by Handi-Transit 1974-2005
Oshawa
- Oshawa Railway Company 1895-1959
- Queen Bus Lines 1920s
- Oshawa Transit 1960-2005
- Specialized Service provided by Handi-Transit 1974-2005
Clarington
- Clarington Transit 2002-2005
- Specialized Service provided by Handi-Transit 1974-2005
See also
- York Region Transit
- Vivayork
- Toronto Transit Commission - connections made with Rouge Hill Shuttle
- GO Transit - connections made with Rouge Hill Shuttle