Prologue:
Today, you can board Durham Region Transit’s 915 Taunton from the Ajax GO Station (before July 2012 – it originated at the Pickering GO station) all the way to Durham College and UOIT (University of Ontario Institute of Technology). But before the 915 Taunton came into existence (along with the expansion of the Rossland bus route to Ajax GO station), the Campus 101 was the “precursor” to merging all of the transit authorities in the Durham Region – under one roof with today’s Durham Region Transit.
How it all started:
When the University of Ontario Institute of Technology was about to open its doors back in 2003, the Region Municipality of Durham is looking into ways on how to transport students to not only the new university but serving current and new students of not just Durham College but also the new University of Ontario Institute of Technology. That’s why a task force was formed for Durham Region’s transit plan. Marcel Brunelle, then the mayor of the Town of Whitby spearheaded that task force.
The foundations of the task force:
One of the foundations of the regional transit task force – was some new bous that serves the Durham College and UOIT campus. That new bus route was called – the Campus 101. This new bus route was formed by the Ajax-Pickering Transit Authority in partnership with the Region Municipality of Durham, Durham College and the UOIT. The Oshawa Transit Commission (OTC) also formed another bus route that serves not only the Oshawa Campus of Durham College – but the Whitby Campus and the Oshawa GO station. That bus route was the Route 20.
How and where did the Campus 101 serve?:
During its initial launch back in September 2003, the Campus 101 was a peak-only route – meaning it goes to the both the college and the university during the AM rush hours and coming back later during the PM rush hours. This route serves these locales:
- Pickering GO station
- East along Bayly Street
- Ajax GO station, then proceeding North on Westney Road
- East along Highway 2 (Kingston Road/Dundas Street)
- North on Cochrane Street in Whitby
- East along Rossland Road
- North on Simcoe Street
After travelling along these localities, the route terminates at the Oshawa Campus of Durham College and UOIT. About a few months after the route was launched, a mid-day service was launched – bypassing the Ajax GO station. The mid-day service originated at the Pickering GO station, then it travels west along Bayly then North on Liverpool. From there, the route makes a right East along Kingston Road, continuing along the same path as it did for the peak-hour route at that time.
Students who live along the Highway 2 corridor in Ajax and Pickering can connect to and from APTA bus routes. Sometime between late-2004 and mid to late-2005, the Campus 101 was placed back to its original routing for the peak-hour service but, it was now able to offer full-midday service.
The cash fare for the Campus 101 bus route was about $3.00CDN or $1.50CDN for children 6 to 12 years of age and Seniors 60 & over. Children Under 5 can ride for free (if they are accompanied by an adult). Apart from that, a monthly student pass was offered for students who attend Durham College and UOIT. It was sold at the Student Centre at the Oshawa campus of Durham College for $75CDN per month.
That bus pass was valid on any Oshawa Transit, Whitby Transit, Ajax/Pickering Transit and Clarington Transit routes. Accommodations were given for students who live in Brooklin, Port Perry, Bowmanville and Newcastle. If they were travelling along a GO bus route that serves these areas, they can use the student transit pass at no additional charge.
The Campus 101 bus service runs from September to December – when the fall semester ended, and from January to April – when the winter semester ended.
“Growing Pains” for the Campus 101 bus route after Durham Region Transit’s formation:
When Durham Region Transit was launched back in January 2006, the Campus 101 service remained unchanged. However, by September 2006 – many students began to witness the sudden overcrowding of the bus route they have accustomed to. To further remedy the issue back then, Durham Region Transit had provided alternatives to the overcrowding issue.
The newly established U-PASS (which enables a student who attend Durham College and UOIT to ride on Durham Region Transit buses as well as GO buses within Durham Region) also played a role on the ever popular Campus 101 bus route. Students who live along the Highway 2 corridor can take GO transit’s route 94 bus route to connect with the #1 Simcoe (now known as the 401 Simcoe due to DRT’s route numbering system changes back in mid-2008) bus route in Oshawa.
Students who live along the Rossland Road corridor in Oshawa and Whitby took the #15/#16 Taunton East/West orbital bus route. It travels along a part of Taunton Road in Whitby and Oshawa and goes along Rossland Road in these respective cities/towns.
While these routes were able to “relieve the pressure” of the Campus 101 bus route, the overcrowding continued at that time. When I boarded the Campus 101 bus route from Ajax to the Oshawa Campus of Durham College, I tend to wake up a bit early – just to avoid the student rush!
The Campus 101 survived Durham Region Transit’s formation back in 2006. However, when the winter examinations ended for Durham College students back in April 27th, 2007 – the Campus 101 bus route was withdrawn. UOIT students who had to write their exams during the final days of April and early days of May – had to find alternatives at that time.
Epilogue:
While the Campus 101 was an easy and direct route for students who attend Durham College and UOIT, this route’s success has lead to a series of changes that Durham Region Transit implemented – to meet with the demand. The #15 and #16 Taunton bus routes that serve Whitby and Oshawa – were split. The 915 Taunton was extended to the Ajax and Pickering GO stations. The 916 Rossland was also extended – but it terminates at the Ajax GO station. These newly “minted” bus routes (which was formed back in late June 2007) increased the capacity that the former Campus 101 was limited to.
As the student population for both Durham College and UOIT grew, so does the need for public transit. Over the years that I had attended Durham College back then, I had witnessed a few tremendous changes to the transit system in Durham Region.
The most recent was the newly established DRT Pulse 900 bus route, which runs from Downtown Oshawa to the U of T (University of Toronto) Scarborough Campus in Scarborough. This bus route came online back in June 29th, 2013 – replacing the former 94 and 95 GO bus routes. The DRT Pulse also serves the Trent University at Oshawa campus (located on Thornton Road in Oshawa) and also one of the buildings that UOIT has in Downtown Oshawa, notably the Faculty of Education and the Regent Theatre.
The 915 Taunton nowadays – terminates at the Ajax GO station. Those passengers wishing to go to Pickering GO station – must take the 923 Bayly at the Ajax GO station, much to their dismay. While some people don’t mind the extra transfer, others wished that the 915 Taunton should travel back to Pickering – even with the 923 Bayly is picking up the slack.
As Durham Region’s population grow, so does the need with the transit system. Will Durham Region Transit be able to follow the “footsteps” on what York Region Transit has with their own transit plan? We’ll see. Only time will tell.
To finish off this blog posting, I’m leaving you with a song by Boy Epic. It’s called “Bonnie”. I really love this particular song to my opinion. While the true identity of Boy Epic remains a closely guard secret to this day, he’s really an awesome guy. In case you’re wondering, he hails all the day from Dallas, Texas, USA. Enjoy the video.
“Bonnie” – Boy Epic:
