DRT committee approves Technology Roadmap; agency reports added scheduled and On Demand hours in 2025

Durham Region Transit’s Transit Executive Committee met Feb. 4 in Whitby, where members approved a DRT Technology Roadmap and received updates that the agency added more than 46,000 scheduled hours and 23,000 On Demand hours in 2025, according to Durham Region Transit.

For riders in Durham Region, the updates include potential changes to how the agency plans technology upgrades over the next several years and an expansion of standalone lighting at some rural bus stops, based on criteria DRT described.

In its “year in review” update, DRT said it added more than 46,000 scheduled hours and 23,000 On Demand hours in 2025.

DRT also reported progress on longer-term work, including facility upgrades for a future battery-electric fleet, the Durham–Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit corridor, and new workforce programs, including what the agency described as its first mechanic apprenticeship.

On bus-stop lighting, DRT said it manages more than 2,000 bus stops across Durham Region and previously tested standalone solar lighting at stops without shelters or nearby street lighting.

DRT said it is expanding the solar lighting to rural bus stops that operate in the evening and are not located near a streetlight.

The committee approved the DRT Technology Roadmap, which DRT said outlines the technology and resources needed to support current service and future growth. DRT said the roadmap is intended to inform technology-related decisions over the next five years.

DRT also said bus 1723 is carrying a Black History Month wrap featuring artwork by Ken Daley titled “Legacy.”