General Manager's Corner

As the fifth year of amalgamated transit services in Durham Region begins, Durham Region Transit’s (DRT) focus remains on providing residents of the eight municipalities in Durham Region with the best public transit service possible. 

Annual DRT ridership climbed to over 8.6 million passengers in 2009. In November, DRT celebrated a 30 million total passenger milestone.   Specialized Services for customers with disabilities grew by 6% in 2009 compared to 2008.  The 30 fully accessible buses serve 2,700 customers with almost 140,000 trips a year.

As of February 2010, the combined conventional, community and specialized fleet will total 194 vehicles. All new buses are environmentally friendly and air conditioned.  The accessible ‘kneeling’ and ramp features of 81.8% of the conventional DRT fleet provides transit options for passengers with mobility challenges.

DRT operates 62 routes, high school specials and integrates additional service with GO Bus along the Hwy 2, Hwy 12 and HWY 407 corridors with a “One Fare Anywhere” agreement with GO Transit. Customers travelling within Durham Region can transfer between DRT and GO Bus without additional cost. 

To travel beyond your community take advantage of four DRT cross-boundary routes 915 Taunton, 916 Rossland and 950 Uxbridge / Port Perry for travel to Durham College / UOIT and route 922 Bloor / Victoria between the Whitby and Oshawa GO Stations and east to Oshawa Townline.

Our co-fare agreement with GO Transit continues to be a real opportunity for residents to reduce the cost of their daily commute ($0.65 cents each way). DRT passengers connecting to/from GO Bus and GO Train service at Rouge Hill, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa GO Rail Stations are eligible for co-fare. Passengers simply provide proof of a valid GO Transit ticket or pass when boarding a DRT Bus.

Submitting DRT monthly passes and claiming the Canada Revenue Agency Transit Tax Credit is another way to save their transit dollars. Visit www.cra-arc.gc.ca for more information.  To calculate your transit pass tax saving visit www.transitpass.ca .

In closing I'd like to welcome everyone on board and encourage you to visit our Web site often for service changes and DRT updates. Use the Feedback Form or  Contact us anytime and help the DRT team to build your transit system.

We hope you enjoy travelling on Durham Region Transit.

Ted Galinis,
General Manager