Can Roam Balance Tourist Volume With the Needs of Local Riders?

Visitors may leave the Bow Valley remembering the scenery, but many also remember their bus driver.

A new Roam Transit survey shows overwhelming satisfaction with operator friendliness and customer service, even as passengers call for more frequent buses, clearer route information and better management of overcrowding during peak tourism months. The findings, presented to the Town of Canmore on December 16, reflect responses collected between May and October from more than a thousand riders across Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise and regional routes.

What emerges is a picture of a transit system strained by record demand yet supported by the people who keep it moving.

One rider described the experience as “amazing” and praised drivers for being helpful and knowledgeable. Another singled out a Route 2 operator by name, writing, “Bill was very friendly and gave us excellent tips and information. And he deserves a huge raise.”

A Visitor System Shouldering a Resident Load

Roam’s ridership mix is heavily skewed toward visitors on Banff and regional routes, in some cases reaching 70-75%. Canmore routes remain primarily used by residents. That imbalance is reflected in the comments. Tourists often praised the ease of travel, while local riders repeatedly raised concerns about crowding, long waits, and full buses bypassing stops.

For many Bow Valley workers, the challenge is not simply getting around. It is getting on board at all.

“Reduce crowded buses,” one resident wrote. “Very annoying when you finish a long shift or have a lot of groceries, and the bus is not taking passengers because it is full of tourists going to the gondola.”

Across nearly every service area, respondents said buses were frequently at capacity during peak hours. Routes serving popular attractions, including the Banff Gondola and Lake Minnewanka, saw the most complaints about crowding.

A System Buckling at Peak Times

The survey lists the frequency of each route, which ranges from every 15 minutes on Banff Route 1 to as long as 90 minutes on the Route 9 regional service. Riders said those intervals were not sufficient to handle summer demand, particularly when full buses passed stops without boarding additional passengers.

Several respondents asked for additional service at closing time for attractions, noting that late evening crowds often spilled into regular service routes with little space available.

Praise for Staff, Frustration With the App

Although drivers received some of the highest praise in the survey, the lowest scoring elements centered on information and communication. Riders said that finding clear route details, especially for Lake Louise services, remained difficult.

One rider noted that information about travel to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake was “extremely poor” online and that they only learned about the service by “seeing a bus passing.” Another said the Route 11 local service sometimes did not appear in the Roam app’s trip planner.

Reservations for Route 8X also drew mixed reactions. Some riders appreciated having a guaranteed seat. Others said booking requirements made the service feel less like public transit and more like a private shuttle.

High Marks in Overall Satisfaction Driven by People

Despite the concerns, Roam scored an overall Net Promoter Score of 52%. The transit industry benchmark is 33 percent. Routes 12 and 9 received the strongest ratings.

Survey respondents often pointed to operators and ambassadors as the system’s strongest asset. Many credited staff with rescuing confusing travel days, helping tourists navigate unfamiliar routes and assisting riders who made booking mistakes.

One rider who purchased tickets in the wrong direction said staff “were so kind and helped this situation become an enjoyable event instead of a potential disaster.”

What Comes Next

Roam officials outlined several priorities in response to the findings. These include:

• Maintaining driver training and service quality

• Clarifying online route information and reservation details

• Expanding infrastructure to support growing demand

• Addressing overcrowding on high pressure routes

• Promoting Roam through hotels and visitor partners

Officials also said they will use the data to improve routes with lower survey participation, which may signal that certain services are not reaching potential riders.

A System at a Crossroads

The survey portrays a transit agency caught between competing needs. The Bow Valley’s resident workforce continues to grow, millions of seasonal visitors rely on the network to reach attractions and the geography of the region limits expansion options. As tourism increases, Roam faces a core challenge. It must remain reliable public transportation for locals while serving as the primary shuttle network for one of Canada’s busiest national park destinations.