Roam (public transit)

Roam is the public transit system for the towns of Canmore, Banff (located inside Banff National Park), and serves Lake Louise (located inside Banff National Park) and the Bow Valley of Alberta's Rockies in Canada. The system is managed by the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission (BVRTSC). In 2024, the system had a ridership of 1,647,800, or about 3,400 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2024.

Roam

Formerly	Banff Public Transit
Parent	Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission[1]
Headquarters	Banff, Alberta
Locale	Banff, Alberta Canmore, Alberta Lake Louise, Alberta
Service type	bus service
Routes	14: 7 year-round, 5 seasonal, and 2 temporarily suspended
Stops	120
Destinations	Canmore, Alberta; Banff, Alberta; Lake Louise, Alberta; Banff National Park, Alberta; Kananaskis Country, Alberta
Hubs	3
Fleet	Nova LFS
Daily ridership	3,400 (weekdays, Q4 2024)[2]
Annual ridership	1,647,800 (2024)[3]
Fuel type	hybrid electric, diesel fuel
Operator	BVRTSC
Website	roamtransit.com

History

Roam was formerly known as Banff Public Transit and the town has had some form of public transportation since 1994, with services contracted to a variety of private operators.

The system was re-branded as Roam in June 2008. At the same time a new fleet of four hybrid buses was acquired and operation of the service was turned over to a new private contractor, Brewster Inc., a local tour bus company.

On April 21, 2011, the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission (BVRTSC) was formed by the Town of Banff, the Town of Canmore and Improvement District No. 9. This new government agency was authorised to provide or coordinate local and regional transit services in the Bow Valley.^[4] Although not a voting member, Parks Canada actively participates in commission meetings.^[4]

In the fall of 2012, the BVRTSC took over responsibility for the transit service.^[5] On December 3, 2012, regional transit service between Banff and Canmore began.^[6]

Service

Each Roam bus is decorated with images of different animals from the National Park and area. This one is Elk

There are currently fourteen routes, seven that operate year-round and five that operate seasonally (May to September).^[7] Service is provided using hybrid Nova buses, each decorated with scenes from the National Park, featuring either a grizzly bear, elk, mountain goat, moose, buffalo, fish, fox, lynx, wolf, etc.

Route	Districts/Areas Served	Frequency	Notes
1 Sulphur Mountain	Banff Sulphur Mountain District, Banff Downtown District, Banff Uptown District[8]	40 minutes	—
2 Tunnel Mountain	Banff Springs District, Banff Downtown District, Banff Uptown District, Banff Tunnel Mountain District[9]	40 minutes	—
3 Banff-Canmore Regional	Banff Downtown District, Banff Uptown District, Bow Valley Trail, Downtown Canmore[10]	60 minutes	Regional fare required
4 Cave & Basin	Cave and Basin, Bow Falls, Banff Downtown District, Banff Uptown District[11]	60 minutes	Operates Friday-Sunday, mid-May to September 30
5T Three Sisters	Downtown Canmore, Carey/Homesteads, Three Sisters[12]	Weekdays: 33–60 minutes Saturday: 37 minutes Sunday: 75 minutes	Currently operating fare-free
5C Cougar Creek	Downtown Canmore, Cougar Creek, Bow Valley Trail[13]	Weekdays: 33–60 minutes Saturday: 37 minutes Sunday: 75 minutes	Currently operating fare-free
6 Lake Minnewanka	Banff Downtown District, Banff Uptown District, Lake Minnewanka, Banff Train Station[14]	60 minutes	Operates mid-May to mid-September
7 The Banff Cantre	Banff Centre District, Surprise Corner, Banff Downtown District, Banff Uptown District	30 minutes	Currently not operating due to Temporary Banff Centre closures[15]
8S Lake Louise Banff Senic	Johnston Canyon, Bow Valley Parkway, Lake Louise Village Centre, Lake Louise Lakeside, Banff Downtown District	4 hours 30 minutes	Temporary Suspended for the 2024 season Regional fare required Operates July to August
8X Lake Louise-Banff Express	Lake Louise Village Centre, Lake Louise Lakeside, Banff Downtown District[16]	60 Minutes	Regional fare required
9 Johnston Canyon	Johnston Canyon, Bow Valley Parkway, Banff Downtown District[17]	60 Minutes	Regional fare required Currently operating as a Weekend Service
10 Moraine Lake	Moraine Lake, Lake Louise Village Centre, Banff Downtown District[18]	60 Minutes	Regional fare required Operates September to late-October/early-November
11 Lake Louise Local	Lake Louise Ski Resort/Park and Ride, Lake Louise Village Centre, Lake Louise Lakeside[19][20]		Operates Seasonally
12 Grassi Lakes	Downtown Canmore, Spring Creek, Bow Valley Trail, TeePee Town, Hospital Hill, Quarry Lake, Kananaskis Country; The Canmore Nordic Centre, Grassi Lakes[21][22][23][24][25][26]	60 minutes	Currently operating fare-free. Currently operating as a Weekend Service Operates May Long Weekend to September 15