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Driving Durham was endorsed by the Transit Executive Committee on March 4, 2026.
Driving Durham is Durham Region Transit’s (DRT) five-year service strategy to guide transit service expansion and investments over the next five years through 2030.
The plan focuses on making transit easier, and the preferred transportation choice for more people, while continuing to meet the needs of current customers.
The strategy is guided by four categories of initiatives:
The service described here reflects DRT’s vision for the network over the next five years.
DRT's service guidelines outline the framework for the transit network.
The five-year service strategy addresses gaps in existing service.
Improvements will focus on:
These improvements will ensure DRT is operating a transit system that offers consistency, is easier to understand, and meets the needs of current and new customers.
Durham Region is growing, and Driving Durham proposes expanding scheduled service to reflect newly developed areas across the Region.
Service changes in Pickering are primarily in Seaton and along the Brock Road corridor. Routes 101 and 211 would be modified to provide service along more of the Church Street corridor and provide connections between Pickering and Ajax. New trips on Route 224 would provide enhanced frequency along most of the route and new connections to the Audley Recreation Centre.
In Whitby, services would be extended farther North to reduce walk distances from newly developed areas. Services in northeast Oshawa would be extended as development continues north of Conlin Road. A new service on Thornton and Stevenson Roads would provide access to new employment areas.
Scheduled service is expected to replace On Demand in parts of the Town of Uxbridge as demand grows, and routes will be modified to connect with employment areas outside Port Perry.
Service in Bowmanville will be reconfigured to provide all-day service to more of the town while maintaining connections to Downtown and non-residential areas in west part of town.
Building a more frequent and available network
Driving Durham anticipates more frequent service that operates longer hours along main regional travel corridors.
Service on these corridors will be improved to every 15 minutes during peak periods, and every 20 minutes during other times, seven days a week. Further service improvements would be made over time and in response to crowding.
These are also the corridors prioritized for more service earlier in the mornings and later at night.
Building On Demand and connecting Durham's villages
On Demand will evolve to improve integration between scheduled service and On Demand to deliver service most efficiently and effectively.
Scheduled service between Durham's villages will facilitate long-distance travel, and On Demand will provide a "last-mile" connection to areas far from bus stops.
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Action
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Primary Partners
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1 |
Plan and implement transit priority measures, including queue jump lanes and transit signal priority (TSP).
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Regional works/transportation, Local Municipalities |
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2 |
Provide transit in new growth areas as soon as practical.
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Regional planning, Local Municipalities, Developers |
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3 |
Advance transit supportive development, especially around existing and proposed stations and terminals.
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Regional planning, Local Municipalities, Developers, Metrolinx |
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4 |
Identify and work with Local Municipalities to fill gaps in pedestrian and active transportation networks that affect access to transit stops.
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Regional works, Local Municipalities |
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5 |
Coordinate connections and complementary services with GO Transit.
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GO Transit / Metrolinx |
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6 |
Continuously adapt flexible service delivery models to meet evolving customer needs and travel patterns.
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Internal DRT planning and scheduling |
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7 |
Reduce customer wait times for transfers, On Demand trips, and connections to trains.
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Internal DRT planning, GO Transit (for rail connections) |
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8 |
Plan services to improve on-time performance so customers can reliably reach their destinations.
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Internal DRT planning, Regional traffic operations |
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9 |
Ensure services operate at the times of day when customers need to travel.
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Internal DRT planning, Local Municipalities |
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10 |
Maximize direct routing where appropriate to improve travel times and ease of understanding.
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Internal DRT planning, Local Municipalities |
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11 |
Operate more frequent services to address crowding and grow ridership.
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Internal DRT planning, Regional finance |
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12 |
Conduct a review of On Demand service focusing on sustainability, reliability, and capacity.
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Internal DRT planning, On Demand service and technology providers |
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13 |
Deliver real time service updates to inform customers of service disruptions.
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DRT Customer Service, TTS/technology providers |
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14 |
Continually improve customer safety through infrastructure, operator training, and partner collaboration.
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Regional works, Local Municipalities, Operators, Emergency Services |
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15 |
Conduct a mid-term review of Driving Durham during the third year of the plan.
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Regional planning, Internal DRT planning, Local Municipalities |
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16 |
Report annually on transit system performance through the Region’s service planning and budget process, including metrics on ridership, productivity, on time performance, customer experience, and alignment with service guidelines. Findings will inform yearly service adjustments and long-term investment priorities.
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Internal DRT planning and scheduling, Regional finance, DRT Customer Service |
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17 |
Pilot a limited community connector service and evaluate sustainability
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Internal DRT planning and scheduling |
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