Canada's Regional Municipality of Durham, on behalf of Durham Region Transit (DRT), partnered with INIT for the installation of an intermodal fleet management system.

DRT has a fixed-route fleet of 205 vehicles, which includes 26 PULSE bus rapid transit (BRT) vehicles. PULSE operates high frequency service across DRT’s main Hwy 2 corridor linking Downtown Oshawa with Toronto. When complete, the service will feature an intelligent transportation system (ITS), transit signal priority improvements to six major intersections, two new or expanded maintenance storage and operations facilities, and a control center.

The complete INIT system will include onboard computers, touchscreen driver terminals, planning software, statistics and reporting software, and onboard passenger information displays and announcements. INIT will also replace the DRT’s existing scheduling software.

In addition, INIT’s automated passenger counting technology will be installed on the new BRT vehicles to track DRT ridership and capture accurate data for reporting. INIT will integrate IRIS passenger counting sensors, giving DRT a 98% passenger counting accuracy rate.

Additionally, INIT’s onboard driver touch terminal will simplify and improve driver processes, while serving as the communication gateway to DRT’s control center, while its on-board passenger information displays and audio announcements will give DRT customers convenient visual and audio next stop announcements, improving accessibility. The new system will also interface with DRT’s existing signs and fare collection boxes making for an easy integration with existing equipment.

The contract between The Regional Municipality of Durham and INIT marks the fifth customer in the Toronto region to trust INIT for their ITS technology deployment.