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On Demand and Specialized Services

DRT On Demand trips can be managed through our mobile application (app) and over the phone. Customers booking trips through Specialized Transit must book through our call centre.

The apps are available here:
Google PlayApple App Store

About On Demand

DRT offers On Demand service using smaller vehicles, shared rides, and dynamic routing where and when scheduled bus routes are not operating. On Demand operates throughout the rural areas of Durham Region, and at urban bus stops more than a 10-minute walk from an operating bus route. On Demand is not available at bus stops with a bus scheduled to arrive within 30 minutes. Trips offered through On Demand are designed to connect customers with scheduled buses for onward travel, where available.

Door-to-door On Demand service is available for eligible customers whose disabilities prevent them from using scheduled service for all or parts of their trip. 

Seeking more information? Read through On Demand frequently asked questions.

Planning and Booking an On Demand trip

DRT provides 24-hour transit service seven days a week in the urban area, and service from 06:00 to 24:00 on weekdays and 07:00 to 21:00 on weekends in rural areas. Whether On Demand is available for your trip also depends on nearby scheduled bus routes in operation. 

On Demand trips can be booked up to three days in advance of travel.

Registered customers who are eligible for Specialized Service must call a booking agent to schedule an On Demand trip. This can be done up to four days in advance of the planned trip.

Starting December 10, 2025, customers who make recurring trips may be eligible for a subscription. Availability is limited to 40 per cent of weekday service capacity.

To learn more about subscriptions, visit this link.

Beginning Saturday, March 14, 2026, Durham Region Transit (DRT) will pause next day On Demand bookings and booking changes each day, from 17:30 to 18:30. This will be done to run system optimization and improvements.

During this time, customers will not be able to make or modify bookings for the next day in the DRT On Demand app or by phone. Same-day trips and trips later in the booking window will continue to be available. All existing trips will run as scheduled, and PRESTO will continue to work normally.

Booking services for the next day will resume daily at 18:30, and customers will again be able to book, modify or cancel next-day trips after this time. Customers are encouraged to make or adjust next-day bookings before 17:30 when possible.

Download the DRT On Demand app to plan your trip, including connections to scheduled service. Customers can manage their upcoming trips in the app, cancel trips they no longer need, and track their pickups.

The DRT On Demand web portal has similar functionality to the app, for customers that do not use a smartphone.

Booking agents in our call centre are available to help plan and book your trip:

  • Weekdays 05:00-24:00
  • Saturday 07:00-24:00
  • Sunday 07:00-22:00

To speak with a booking agent, call 311 (within Regional limits) or 1-866-247-0055.

 

Booking agents require the following information from the customer when booking a trip:

  • Date of trip.
  • Location and time of pick-up and drop-off.
  • Number of other people travelling, such as a support person or companion(s).
  • Any mobility devices that will be brought onto the vehicle.

When booking a trip by phone, customers are expected to confirm with DRT staff and write down the details of the trip for reference. Documenting details of the trip will ensure customers have a record of their trip history to match what is maintained in DRT’s scheduling system

Specialized Transit within On Demand

Specialized Transit is integrated within On Demand. The service provides flexible and personalized service for customers whose disabilities prevents them from using scheduled service for all or parts of their trip. Customers must apply to use Specialized Services. Applications are reviewed to confirm eligibility.

Registered customers must contact a booking agent for support planning and booking a trip. Specialized Services customers can use the On Demand app to monitor their in-progress and upcoming trips.  

Specialized Services application Request application by mail

Fares

DRT fares apply to the entire transit network, including On Demand. Full information is available on the Fares page.  

When you setup your account in the DRT On Demand app, you will be prompted to select a default fare payment type. If you board a vehicle and need to pay a different way, that is not a problem. When booking your trip select the fare payment method you intend to use, and the driver can adjust your selection once the trip begins if necessary.

Important Reminders

Customers should be familiar with our cancelation and no-show policy. If you no longer need your booking or won't make your trip, please cancel so that other customers can be accommodated.

Pick-ups are scheduled within a 20-minute window. When a scheduled pick-up time changes, updates to pickup times will be available in the DRT On Demand app. Changes to Specialized Transit trips booked in advance will be communicated to the customer.

When booking a trip, the DRT booking agents will advise customers of their 20-minute pick-up window. 

Customers should be ready and waiting at the first accessible door at the start of the pick-up window that was provided by the booking agent. The vehicle operator will wait up to five minutes after arrival before departing to serve other scheduled customers

Travel Checklist

On Demand trips can be booked beginning at midnight the day before the planned trip. For example, if you are planning a trip any time on Saturday, you can book beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday.

Note: Specialized Transit customers can call a booking agent up to seven (7) days in advance of a planned trip.

Customers should be ready during the pick-up window provided by the booking agent. Give yourself enough time to reach the stop where your pickup will take place. 

Note: for customers not using the DRT On Demand App: If five (5) minutes have passed since your scheduled pick-up time, you can contact customer service by phone for an update on your trip.

When booking your trip, the DRT On Demand app or booking agent will provide a pickup time. Based on other bookings, the pick-up times may shift slightly. Please keep this in mind when booking, and schedule your trip with flexibility.

Operators do not assist individuals with boarding or disembarking vehicles, except for customers registered with Specialized Transit.

Note: Individuals requiring an accessible vehicle are expected to note this when booking their trip.

Before you travel, you should review the information in our customer policies, which apply to all DRT services. 

  • Trips are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. 
  • All Specialized Transit pickups and drop offs take place at accessible entrances, and operators escort passengers between the vehicle and those entrances.
  • On Demand customers in urban areas will be picked up and dropped off at bus stops
  • On Demand customers in rural areas will be picked up and dropped off at their curb or at the end of a driveway.

Creating an account for On Demand 

Customers can create an account and book trips by calling a booking agent at 1-866-247-0055 or through the DRT On Demand app.

After downloading and installing the mobile app, enter your phone number and you will receive a one-time-code to activate your account. 

Account setup involves receiving a text message with a temporary password. If you do not have a phone number that can receive text messages, contact a booking agent who can create an account and provide you login information for the web booking portal.

Customers using the web booking portal can log-in using an email address and password combination and access the same functionality as the mobile app.

Your account has been automatically created. To use the mobile app and web portal, up-to-date phone numbers and email addresses are required. If your phone number or email address are not already associated with your account, contact us to make sure your information is up to date.

Your account can only be active on a single device at a time.

Contact Us

Durham Region Transit
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