Durham Region Transit route 900 'Highway 2'

Route Details

DRT Pulse (route 900 Highway 2 Pulse) is Durham Region Transit's (DRT) branded bus service, and precursor to bus rapid transit, along Ontario Highway 2. Pulse operates between the downtown Oshawa courthouse at Mary Street and the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. It serves the intermediate municipalities of Whitby, Ajax, and Pickering. Pulse currently runs in mixed traffic with 7.5 minute headways during peak periods. DRT will implement "conditional" transit signal priority and automatic vehicle locating systems for the BRT system.

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.

Stops

Pulse services a number of local stops in each direction.

Stop	Street	Cross-street	Direction	Routes served	Notes
University of Toronto Scarborough Campus	Military Trail	Ellesmere Road	East	51 38 95 198 923
Meadowvale	Ellesmere Road	Meadowvale Road	East/West	95 923	Pick up eastbound and Drop off westbound
Sheppard	Kingston Road	Sheppard Avenue East	West	92 923	Drop off only
Port Union	Kingston Road	Port Union Road	East	92 103 923	Pick up only
Altona	Kingston Road	Altona Road	East/West	923 110B	110B only stops on westbound side
Rougemount	Kingston Road	Rougemount Drive	East/West	92 193 923 110B	110B only stops on westbound side
Rosebank	Kingston Road	Rosebank Road	East/West	193 923 110B	110B only stops on westbound side
Steeple Hill	Kingston Road	Steeple Hill	East/West	193 923 110B	110B only stops on westbound side
Whites	Kingston Road	Whites Road	East/West	92 193 923 110B	110B only stops on westbound side
804 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	N/A	West	193 923
817 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	N/A	East	193 923
Fairport	Kingston Road	Fairport Road	East/West	51 92 193 923
Dixie	Kingston Road	Dixie Road	East/West	193 923 111A	111A only stops on westbound side
Walnut	Kingston Road	Walnut Lane	East/West	51 92 193 923 111/111A
Liverpool	Kingston Road	Liverpool Road	East/West	193 923 111/111A
Glenanna	Kingston Road	Glenanna Road	East/West	92 291 292 923	923 only stops on westbound side
Valley Farm	Kingston Road	Valley Farm Road	East/West	291 292	Accessible only on westbound side
Denmar	Kingston Road	Denmar Road	East	291 292
Guild	Kingston Road	Guild Road	West	291 292
Brock Road	Kingston Road	Brock Road	East/West	92 111/111A 291 292
Southview	Kingston Road	Southview Drive	East/West	291 292
Notion	Kingston Road	Notion Road	East/West	291 292
Elizabeth	Kingston Road	Elizabeth Street	East/West	291 292
Church	Kingston Road	Church Street	East/West	92 291 292	Stop labeled as "625 Kingston Road" while travelling east
Mill	Kingston Road	Mill Street	East/West	291 292
Westney	Kingston Road	Westney Road	East/West	92 291 292	Important transfer to route 915 Taunton
Ritchie	Kingston Road	Ritchie Road/Chapman Drive	East	291 292
Chapman	Kingston Road	Ritchie Road/Chapman Drive	West	291 292
184 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	N/A	West	291 292	Announced as "132 Kingston Road"
113 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	N/A	East	221D 291 292
Harwood	Kingston Road	Harwood Avenue	East/West	92 291 292	Important transfert to route 916 Rossland
84 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	Durham Centre	West	291 292
69 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	Durham Centre	East	291 292
Salem	Kingston Road	Salem Road	East/West	92 225 291 292	225 only stops on eastbound side
257 Kingston Road	Kingston Road	N/A	East	225
Wicks	Kingston Road	Wicks Drive	East/West	225
Galea	Kingston Road	Galea Drive	West	225/225A
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
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
Frances	Dundas Street	Frances Street	East
Euclid	Dundas Street	Euclid Street	West
King	Dundas Street	King Street	East
Byron	Dundas Street	Byron Street North	West
Brock Street	Dundas Street	Brock Street	East/West	92	Important connection to route 302 Brock/Brooklin
Perry	Dundas Street	Perry Street	East
Athol	Dundas Street	Athol Street	West
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	409
Thornton	King Street	Thornton Road	East/West	409	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 92 402/402B 405 411
Midtown	King Street	Midtown Drive	East	402/402B 405 411
Arena	Bond Street	Arena Street	West	402/402B 405 411
Centre	King Street/Bond Street	Centre Street	East/West	90 92 402/402B 405 411
Simcoe	King Street/Bond Street	Simcoe	East/West	90 402/402B 405 411
Bond	Mary Street	Bond Street	North

Fleet

Pulse is operated with 26 specially branded and appointed buses that are stored at the upgraded Westney facility in Ajax. DRT purchased the buses through the 2012 option of the Metrolinx Transit Purchasing Co-operative which would allow for delivery of the buses in the summer of 2012.