Durham Region Transit route 900 'PULSE Highway 2'

	PULSE 900 Highway 2
Number of Branches		2
Types of buses used		New Flyer XD40 Nova Bus LFS Nova Bus LFS Artic
Division		Raleigh
Related routes		915

PULSE 900 Highway 2 is Durham Region Transit's (DRT) branded bus rapid transit "Lite" service, and precursor to bus rapid transit, along Ontario Highway 2. PULSE 900 operates between downtown Oshawa at Richmond/Ontario and Centennial Circle and the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus at Military Trail and Ellesmere Road. It serves the intermediate municipalities of Whitby, Ajax, and Pickering. Pulse currently runs in mixed traffic with sections of curb-side bus lanes with 10 minute headways or better on weekdays during peak periods and midday. DRT will implement "conditional" transit signal priority and automatic vehicle locating systems for the BRT system.

Current route diagram

Branches

This route has two branches

• PULSE 900 Highway 2 Richmond and Ontario (Oshawa) - Centennial Circle and UTSC (Scarborough) (All Times)

• PULSE 900B Highway 2 Richmond and Ontario (Oshawa) - Glenanna Road (Pickering Town Centre) (Weekday early morning and Sunday daytime)

Frequency

Branch	Weekdays					Saturday			Sunday
	AM Peak	Midday	PM Peak	Early Evening	Late Evening	Early AM	Day	Evening	Early AM	Day	Evening
900	10	10	10	20	30	30	15	30	30	30	30
900B	3 Trips	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	30	N/A

History

• Since 2007, DRT identified Highway 2 as an important corridor for rapid transit and prepared a business case for BRT along the route. On June 15, 2007, the government of Ontario announced their MoveOntario 2020 plan which committed $11.5 billion in funding 52 rapid transit projects in the GTHA. Metrolinx developed the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which became known as The Big Move, and approved it in November 2008. The Highway 2 rapid transit project was identified as a Top 15 Priority Project in The Big Move.

• The Region has solicited the public input for starting the BRT project. This included open houses and a formation of a committee to discuss the Long Term Transit Strategy. This long term study identified other main corridors in the region that would support rapid transit by the year 2031. Highway 2 is estimated to reach ridership and development which would warrant an upgraded to light rail transit.

• In April 2011, the Region initiated an environmental assessment. More public open houses are to take place, and a vote is being held on what to name the service. DRT unveiled four proposed names for the BRT service and four distinct logos and livery. The names to choose from are: DRT Plus, DRT MAX, DRT Rapid, and DRT Pulse. From April 4 to November 14, passengers could vote on the website. And on November 30, the Executive Committee approved the name with the most votes: DRT Pulse.

• A soft launch took place on June 29, 2013. The service operates much like the GO Transit route 94 that it replaced. It makes all local stops along Highway 2 with added stops at Altona Road and Sheppard Avenue. Unlike the route 94, the route does not serve any GO stations or terminals and terminates at the University of Toronto.

• In September 2013, construction began on dedicated bus lanes along Highway 2 in Ajax between Salem Road and Harwood Avenue. The westbound lane was completed by December, and the eastbound lane was completed by the summer of 2014. Construction soon followed for dedicated bus lanes in Pickering between Glenanna Road and Liverpool Road. They were completed by the end of 2015. Buffered bicycle lanes compliment all of the bus lanes.

• In 2015 frequencies in weeday midday were increased from every 15 minutes to every 10 minutes or better.

• Mid-2016 brought the construction of bus only lanes between (West of) Brock Road and (East of) Bainbridge Drive in Pickering complimented by buffered bicycle lanes.

• 2016 brought improved frequency in the early morning periods on weedays as well as Saturday.

• In spring of 2017 construction began on the final two sections of the phase one dedicated bus lanes. Construction begins at (East of Rotherglen Road to (East of) Westney Road in Ajax. Progress is also underway in Pickering between (West of) Steeple Hill to (East of) Delta Blvd. Each of these projects are scheduled to be complete by end of year 2017 and offer improved landscaping as well as safer pedestrian crossings at these busy intersections. Buffered bicycle lanes will also be added across each of the sections.

• Due to a strike with constriction workers employed by AECOM Construction, dedicated bus only lanes in Pickering between Brock Road and Bainbridge Drive, were unable to be completed by summer of 2017. Once the strike has concluded, final paving on bus lanes will take place and be operational in the following weeks.

• On September 4th 2017 route 900 was given improved weekday evening service as well as 30 minute minimum frequencies 7 days a week. The route was added to the new Durham Region Transit High Frequency Network

• In September 2018, construction began for a new section of bus lanes linking the Westney Road section to the Harwood Avenue section.

• In October 2018, construction ramped up for dedicated bus lanes along Highway 2 between Wesntey Road bus Lanes to the Harwood Avenue Bus lanes. once completed in Fall 2019, there will be a continuous length of bus lanes between Westney Road and Salem Road.

• On January 7th 2019, route 900 will see a route change. The new western terminus of the route 900 will be Centennial Circle. This decision was decided upon following a lengthy detour around University of Toronto Scarborough, and the plan is to better serve more areas of the campus.

• On February 27th, the Region of Durham started design work for the next segments of bus lanes that extend upon and connect the bus lanes that were already built. These extensions include, Delta Boulevard to East of Fairport Road in Pickering, West of Dixie Road to Glendale Drive in Pickering, Glenanna Road to Brock Road in Pickering, and Salem Road to Galea Drive in Ajax.

• On June 5th DRT announced the order for six Nova Bus LFS Artics, marking the first articulated buses to join the DRT fleet in 2020 and enter service in 2021. [[1]]

• On September 3rd, 2019, Route 900 Sunday service increased from every 30 Minutes to every 15 Minutes on the new 900B branch that operates between Richmond and Ontario to Glenanna Road and the Pickering Town Centre.

• On September 6th, 2019, 7100-7103 entered service

Stops

Pulse services a number of local stops in each direction.

Here is a list of all stops along the route from the west at Centennial Circle to the east in Downtown Oshawa

Stop	Street	Cross-street	Direction		Routes served	Notes
Centennial Circle Loop	Military Trail	Pan Am Drive	East			Walking connection to GO Transit 51, 12D, TTC 116A and TTC 905 at street
Military Trail	Ellesmere Road	Military Trail	East/West		95 116A	Pick up eastbound and Drop off westbound. Connections at West Side Stops for 12D, 38, 95 116A, 905, and 995
Meadowvale	Ellesmere Road	Meadowvale Road	East/West		95	Pick up eastbound and Drop off westbound
Sheppard	Kingston Road	Sheppard Avenue East	West		92	Drop off only
Port Union	Kingston Road	Port Union Road	East		92 103	Pick up only
Altona	Kingston Road	Altona Road	East/West		110B	110B only stops on westbound side
Rougemount	Kingston Road	Rougemount Drive	East/West		92 193 110B	110B only stops on westbound side
Rosebank	Kingston Road	Rosebank Road	East/West		193 110B	110B only stops on westbound side
Steeple Hill	Kingston Road	Steeple Hill	East/West		193 110B	110B only stops on westbound side
Whites	Kingston Road	Whites Road	East/West		92 193 110B	110B only stops on westbound side
Delta	Kingston Road	Delta Boulevard	West		193
780 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	N/A	West		193
817 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	N/A	East		193
Fairport	Kingston Road	Fairport Road	East/West		51 92 193
Dixie	Kingston Road	Dixie Road	East/West		193 111A	111A only stops on westbound side
Walnut	Kingston Road	Walnut Lane	East/West		51 92 193 111/111A
Liverpool	Kingston Road	Liverpool Road	East/West		193 223 111/111A 916	916 and 223 only stops on Eastbound side
Glenanna	Kingston Road	Glenanna Road	East/West		92 291 603 916	603, 916 and 291 only stops on eastbound side
Valley Farm	Kingston Road	Valley Farm Road	East/West		603 291 916	Accessible only on westbound side
Brock Road	Kingston Road	Brock Road	East/West		92 111/111A 291 916
Bainbridge	Kingston Road	Bainbridge Drive	East/West		291
Notion	Kingston Road	Notion Road	East/West		291
Elizabeth	Kingston Road	Elizabeth Street	East/West		291
Church	Kingston Road	Church Street	East/West		92 291	Stop labeled as "625 Kingston Road" while travelling east
Mill	Kingston Road	Mill Street	East/West
Westney	Kingston Road	Westney Road	East/West		92 291	Important transfer to route 915 Taunton
Ritchie	Kingston Road	Ritchie Road/Chapman Drive	East		291
Chapman	Kingston Road	Ritchie Road/Chapman Drive	West		291
132 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	N/A	West		291
113 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	N/A	East		291
Harwood	Kingston Road	Harwood Avenue	East/West		92 291
84 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	Durham Centre	West
69 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	Durham Centre	East		291
Salem	Kingston Road	Salem Road	East/West		92 291
257 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	N/A	East
Wicks	Kingston Road	Wicks Drive	East/West
Alexanders Crossing	Kingston Road	Alexanders Crossing	East/West
Audley	Kingston Road	Audley Road North	East/West
Lake Ridge	Kingston Road	Lake Ridge Road	East/West
Halls	Dundas Street	Halls Road	East/West		92	Connection to Dundas Street/Highway 412 Park and Ride.
White Oaks	Dundas Street	White Oaks Court	East/West		92	Some trips will short turn at this stop
Jeffery	Dundas Street	Jeffery Street	East
McQuay	Dundas Street	McQuay Boulevard	West
Wellington	Dundas Street	Wellington Street	East/West
Cochrane	Dundas Street	Cochrane Street	West		312
Annes	Dundas Street	Annes Street	East
Euclid	Dundas Street	Euclid Street	West		312
King	Dundas Street	King Street	East
Brock Street	Dundas Street	Brock Street	East/West		92 312	Important connection to route 302 Brock/Brooklin
Hickory	Dundas Street	Hickory Street	East
Pine	Dundas Street	Pine Street	West		312
Garden	Dundas Street	Garden Street	West		92 312
Lupin	Dundas Street	Lupin Drive	West		92
Craydon	Dundas Street	Craydon Road	East/West		304 312	312 only stops on westbound side
Hopkins	Dundas Street	Hopkins Street	East		92
Anderson	Dundas Street	Anderson Street	West		92 312
Bowman	Dundas Street	Bowman Avenue	West		312
Glen Hill	Dundas Street	Glen Hill Drive	East		312
Thickson	Dundas Street	Thickson Road	East/West		92	Important connection to route 305 Thickson/Garrard
Kathleen	Dundas Street	Kathleen Street	East/West
Kendalwood	Dundas Street	Kendalwood Road	East
Garrard	Dundas Street	Garrard Street	West
Thornton	King Street	Thornton Road	East/West			Important connection to route 910 Campus Connect
Waverly	King Street	Waverly Road	East/West
Stevenson	King Street/Bond Street	Stevenson Road	East/West		90 92	GO 90 only stops eastbound on King Street
Gibbons	King Street/Bond Street	Gibbons Street	East/West
Park	Bond Street	Park Street North	West		90 92
Warren	King Street	Warren Avenue	East		90 92 402 405
Midtown	King Street	Midtown Drive	East		402 405
Arena	Bond Street	Arena Street	West		402 405
Centre	King Street/Bond Street	Centre Street	East/West		90 92 402 405
Simcoe	Bond Street	Simcoe Street	West		90 402 405 407
Bond	Simcoe Street	Bond Street	North		401 422	Temporary stop on detour due to construction at Mary and Bond.
Ontario	Richmond Street	Ontario Street	East			temporary terminus due to construction at Mary and Bond.