Roam Transit has a bus problem. The Roam Transit Banff expansion study, presented to the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission in April, puts a number on the solution: $45 million, a rebuilt depot on Hawk Avenue, and – tucked into the concept drawings like a hopeful afterthought – 27 units of staff housing.
Why the Roam Transit Banff Expansion Is Happening Now
The existing facility at 111 Hawk Ave. was designed to hold 32 buses under ideal conditions, though the study says it is effectively full at about 28 because of clearance and circulation limits. Roam's fleet has already grown to around 39 buses, with a projected fleet need of 73 by 2040.
Canmore's population is forecast to grow from roughly 16,000 to a theoretical build-out of 38,000, while Banff's visitor numbers tick up at around four per cent each year. Parks Canada's vehicle restrictions at Moraine Lake and paid parking at Lake Louise and Lake Minnewanka have also been quietly nudging thousands of people onto Roam buses, whether they planned to or not.
In 2025, Roam carried three million riders – a record. They celebrated with a sign on the side of a bus, then looked at where they were parking all those buses and quietly started calling consultants.
Three Sites, One Clear Winner
WATT Consulting Group evaluated three potential locations: the existing Hawk Avenue property in Banff, a site adjacent to the Canmore heliport, and a parcel near Three Sisters. The Banff site won, and not by a narrow margin.
Summer operating costs tell the story plainly: an estimated $170,100 from Hawk Avenue, compared with roughly $415,300 from the Canmore heliport site and $419,600 from Three Sisters. The difference comes down to “deadhead” trips – the empty kilometres a bus travels before it starts doing anything useful.
The preferred Hawk Avenue concept would accommodate 69 buses, close to but not quite matching the 73 projected for 2040. Additional satellite facilities are expected to fill the gap over time.
The Housing Slide Nobody Was Expecting
Buried in the concept drawings is something that does not often appear in transit infrastructure reports: accommodation. The example layout shows 27 units with 51 beds of employee housing above a future maintenance building.
It is not a commitment, and not quite a proposal. But in a region where housing is among the most persistent barriers to staffing any service – transit included – the fact that it appears in the drawings at all is worth noting.
What Happens Next (Slowly, Deliberately)
The commission reviewed the report on April 16 and agreed that more time is needed before any decisions are made. Commission chair Dave Schebek put it plainly: “I don't think one meeting or two is gonna hit this out of the park – I think we want to take our time and make sure to get this one right.”
WATT consultant Andrew Martin offered one note of urgency amid the measured pace: grant funding for transit infrastructure, electric buses, climate resilience, and staff housing tends to appear and disappear quickly. The commission will need to be ready to move when the money becomes available, even if the broader decisions are still being worked through.
By 2049, Roam planning documents suggest the service could need close to 98 buses, with long-term ridership expected to grow sharply. In the meantime, the buses keep running – all 39 of them, parked somewhere.