Roam (public transit)

Last updated
Roam
Roam transit logo.svg
Banff Alberta Rom bus wolf.jpg
FormerlyBanff Public Transit
ParentBow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission [1]
Headquarters Banff, Alberta
Locale Banff, Alberta
Canmore, Alberta
Lake Louise, Alberta
Service type bus service
Routes14: 7 year-round, 5 seasonal, and 2 temporally suspended
Stops120
Destinations Canmore, Alberta; Banff, Alberta; Lake Louise, Alberta; Banff National Park, Alberta; Kananaskis Country, Alberta
Hubs3
Fleet Nova LFS
Daily ridership4,500 (weekdays, Q2 2024) [2]
Annual ridership1,556,300 (2023) [3]
Fuel type hybrid electric, diesel fuel
OperatorBVRTSC
Website roamtransit.com

Roam is the public transit system for the towns of Canmore, Banff (located inside Banff National Park), and Lake Louise (located inside Banff National Park) and in the Bow Valley of Alberta's Rockies in Canada. The system is managed by the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission (BVRTSC). In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,556,300, or about 4,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

Contents

History

Roam was formerly known as Banff Public Transit and the town has had some form of public transportation since 1994, 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 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 Banff Roam bus 3 elk.jpg
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.

RouteDistricts/Areas ServedFrequencyNotes
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 RegionalBanff Downtown District, Banff Uptown District, Bow Valley Trail, Downtown Canmore [10] 60 minutesRegional fare required
4 Cave & Basin Cave and Basin, Bow Falls, Banff Downtown District, Banff Uptown District [11] 60 minutesOperates Friday-Sunday, mid-May to September 30
5T Three SistersDowntown Canmore, Carey/Homesteads, Three Sisters [12] Weekdays: 33–60 minutes

Saturday: 37 minutes

Sunday: 75 minutes

Currently operating fare-free
5C Cougar CreekDowntown Canmore, Cougar Creek, Bow Valley Trail [13] Weekdays: 33–60 minutes

Saturday: 37 minutes

Sunday: 75 minutes

Currently operating fare-free
6 Lake MinnewankaBanff Downtown District, Banff Uptown District, Lake Minnewanka, Banff Train Station [14] 60 minutesOperates mid-May to mid-September
7 The Banff Cantre Banff Centre District, Surprise Corner, Banff Downtown District, Banff Uptown District30 minutesCurrently not operating due to Temporary Banff Centre closures
8S Lake Louise Banff Senic Johnston Canyon, Bow Valley Parkway, Lake Louise Village Centre, Lake Louise Lakeside, Banff Downtown District4 hours 30 minutesTemporary 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 [15] 60 MinutesRegional fare required
9 Johnston Canyon Johnston Canyon, Bow Valley Parkway, Banff Downtown District [16] 60 MinutesRegional fare required

Currently operating as a Weekend Service

10 Moraine Lake Moraine Lake, Lake Louise Village Centre, Banff Downtown District [17] 60 MinutesRegional 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 [18] [19] Operates Seasonally
12 Grassi LakesDowntown Canmore, Spring Creek, Bow Valley Trail, TeePee Town, Hospital Hill, Quarry Lake, Kananaskis Country; The Canmore Nordic Centre, Grassi Lakes [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] 60 minutesCurrently operating fare-free.

Currently operating as a Weekend Service

Operates May Long Weekend to September 15

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banff National Park</span> National park in Alberta, Canada

Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, 110–180 kilometres (68–112 mi) west of Calgary, Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbours to the west, while Kootenay National Park is located to the south and Kananaskis Country to the southeast. The main commercial centre of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Louise, Alberta</span> Hamlet in Alberta, Canada

Lake Louise is a hamlet within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Named after Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, it lies in Alberta's Rockies on the Bow River, 3 km (1.9 mi) northeast of the lake that shares its name. Initially settled in 1884 as an outpost for the Canadian Pacific Railway, Lake Louise sits at an elevation of 1,600 m (5,200 ft), making it Canada's highest community. The nearby lake, framed by mountains, is one of the most famous mountain vistas in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banff, Alberta</span> Town in Canada

Banff is a resort town in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, 126 km (78 mi) west of Calgary and 58 km (36 mi) east of Lake Louise, 1,400 to 1,630 m above sea level,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canmore, Alberta</span> Town in Alberta, Canada

Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately 81 kilometres (50 mi) west of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rocky Mountains. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8 to the north and east. With a population of 17,036 in 2023, Canmore is the fifth-largest town in Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Rundle</span> Mountain in Banff National Park, Canada

Mount Rundle is a mountain in Canada's Banff National Park overlooking the towns of Banff and Canmore, Alberta. The Cree name was Waskahigan Watchi or house mountain. In 1858 John Palliser renamed the mountain after Reverend Robert Rundle, a Methodist invited by the Hudson's Bay Company to do missionary work in western Canada in the 1840s. He introduced syllabics there—a written language developed for the Cree, as part of his missionary work. He only visited the Stoney-Nakoda of the area around what is now called Mount Rundle in 1844 and 1847.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moraine Lake</span> Glacial lake in Alberta, Canada

Moraine Lake is a snow and glacially fed lake in Banff National Park, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) outside the village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, at an elevation of approximately 1,884 metres (6,181 ft). The lake has a surface area of 50 hectares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Three Sisters (Alberta)</span> Trio of mountains in Alberta, Canada

The Three Sisters are a trio of peaks near Canmore, Alberta, Canada. They are known individually as Big Sister, Middle Sister and Little Sister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Mountain</span> Mountain in Alberta, Canada

Castle Mountain is a mountain located within Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, approximately halfway between Banff and Lake Louise. It is the easternmost mountain of the Main Ranges in the Bow Valley and sits astride the Castle Mountain Fault which has thrust older sedimentary and metamorphic rocks forming the upper part of the mountain over the younger rocks forming its base. The mountain's castellated, or castle-like, appearance is a result of erosive processes acting at different rates on the peak's alternating layers of softer shale and harder limestone, dolomite and quartzite.

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References

  1. Transit History of Banff, Alberta
  2. "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Strategic & Business Plan, 2017 to 2020" (PDF). Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission. December 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  5. "Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission Regulation" (PDF). Regulation 59/2011. Alberta. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  6. "Roam between Canmore and Banff: regional public transit service". Roam. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  7. "Schedules & Routes". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  8. "Banff Local Route 1". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  9. "Banff Local Route 2". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  10. "Canmore - Banff Regional Route 3". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  11. "Banff Local Route 4". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  12. "Canmore Local Route 5T". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  13. "Canmore Local Route 5C". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  14. "Banff Local - Lake Minnewanka Route 6". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  15. "Lake Louise - Banff Express Route 8X". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  16. "Johnston Canyon Regional Route 9". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  17. "Moraine Lake Regional Express Route 10". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  18. "Lake Louise Local Route 11". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  19. u/remembeu (2023-09-24). "ROAM route 11?". r/Banff - Reddit. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  20. "Improving trails, transit and expanding K-Country". Roam Transit. 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  21. Colgan, Greg (2022-03-25). "New Grassi Lakes, Nordic Centre bus route to begin in 2024". Rocky Mountain Outlook. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  22. Colgan, Greg (2022-07-04). "Seasonal transit route for Grassi Lakes transit, full-time options discussed". Rocky Mountain Outlook. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  23. Alberta, Government of (2022-03-25). "Improving trails, transit and expanding K-Country". Alberta Government . Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  24. Parsons, Sarah (2024-07-09). "Exploring More of Canmore with Route 12". Roam Transit. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  25. "Canmore Local Route 12". Roam Transit. Archived from the original on 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2024-10-08.

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