After years of complaints, Durham Region Transit is making changes to the 915 Taunton bus route.
Students at Durham College and UOIT have long complained about the bus being full no matter what time of day.
Skylar Hammond is a DC General Arts and Science student and an everyday passenger of the 915 bus. She said it’s “famous” for making students late for class.
“If the bus comes late, it’s always struggle. I shove my way through the crowd just so I can get on it,” she said.
According to Vincent Patterson, general manager of DRT, a new service plan for the 915 bus begins on April 10, and will be fully implemented by September of this year.
This is good news for DC Dental Hygiene student Emma Dotey who also takes the bus every day.
“That bus is always crowded. They need to have more buses running,” said Dotey.
Currently, the bus runs during the week every half hour until 9:30 p.m. The new plan will be the same, but will run until 11 p.m. As well, Saturday and Sunday service will be the same from the start of the day until 7 p.m., and there will be added weekday morning and midday buses to address the overcrowding issue.
“The 915 is certainly a popular bus route. We are looking for ways to decrease the capacity of passengers by adding additional buses along that route to make room for more passengers,” said Patterson.
He said he and the DRT team recognize the issue, understanding students rely on the 915, since the route takes students directly to campus from Ajax and Whitby.
Patterson said DRT is trying to cater to its riders.
“The service plan is what we focus on every year. We need to address the pitch points of the system,” he said.
DRT’s new service plan will also include the 401 Simcoe bus, which will run every 30 minutes at all times, and the 910 Campus Connect bus that will have two-way service on Thornton from Gibb to Taunton.
“I’m excited for the new plan. It will be so much more convenient for all of us,” said Dotey.
