BOW VALLEY - A first glimpse of the Roam transit’s operating and capital budget shows potential for increased service hours and additional staff for the growing service.
Among the possible new service level requests for staff are a safety and training manager, a human resources and payroll administrator, a transit dispatcher and transit systems technician. The transit service is also asking for an employee wellness plan, additional Canmore-Banff regional service, a long-term maintenance strategy study and more office space.
The 2024 draft budget has an increase of 5,800 service hours to 75,424 due to the new Grassi Lakes route, a leap year adding an extra day and Johnston Canyon route running on weekends throughout winter.
“We’re comfortable with these requests allowing us to operate more efficiently and hopefully get a little ahead being reactive,” said Martin Bean, Roam transit’s CEO, at the Aug. 16 commission meeting. “We’ve had some challenges with staff and losing staff because of the pressures we’ve put on them to perform and operate for 20 hours every day. That’s where some of the asks come from.”
The draft 2024-26 operating budget and 2024-33 capital budget were provided to the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission at its Aug. 16 meeting. The budget will return at the September meeting with any suggested changes, which then has it posted for 30 days for public feedback and up for approval at the commission’s October meeting.
Bean highlighted the significant growth Roam has had in recent years. He said after joining Roam in 2015, his first budget with Roam in 2016 was $1.958 million for 19,891 service hours. This budget has seen growth to 75,423 service hours and $11.392 million.
The transit service has expanded from 12 drivers, three office staff, two shuttles and five large buses in 2016 to 110 part- and full-time staff. Roam’s fleet is 31 buses this year, but is expected to increase to 32 in 2024 – more than a third of which are electric.
“It’s a lot of growth,” he said, adding the draft budget requests came after discussions with the management team and feedback from operations staff.
Bean noted to the commission that unlike urban transit services which see a significant drop in ridership on weekends, Roam has steady use with both residents and visitors needing the service.
Its member municipalities and agencies of Canmore, Banff, Improvement District No. 9 and Parks Canada have also prioritized a mode shift to have people rely less on personal vehicles to avoid traffic congestion and use public transit.
“It’s a big commitment from our partners to encourage the use of transit and people are buying in and travelling on the bus,” he said.
Bean said, however, that growth also comes with improving work conditions and ensuring staff aren’t burning out.
“The budget talks to the future, creating and ensuring we’re a place where employees like to work and they’re treated well and they enjoy coming to work,” Bean said. “This budget sets us up for continued growth in the future and commitment to making Roam a great place to work.”
If approved, the budget would increase sick time for staff, provide dedicated training and add a dispatcher. As of now, Bean said the two dispatchers work four 10-hour days and can be on call in evenings, but with buses running late into the night it often means they receive calls.
“As we continue to grow and if we want to retain the staff we hire, we need to be a lot better than we currently are,” he said.
The total for the new requests are budgeted at $594,786.
The draft budget added a new electric bus for Canmore routes is scheduled to arrive in 2024 and an electric shuttle bus is expected in 2024.
It highlighted operating expenses are up about $1.9 million from the last approved budget due to increase vehicle maintenance of $770,000 and wage increases of $940,000. An increase of $724,000 in revenue was also higher than the previous budget due to fare and pass revenue.
The draft budget outlined 2024 total income, including requisitions, at $12.27 million and increasing to $12.89 million in 2025 and $13.77 million in 2026. Income from pass sales is anticipated as $3.85 million in 2024, $3.97 million in 2025 and $4.09 million in 2026.
The estimated total expenses in 2024 are $11.39 million and increase to $11.73 million in 2025 then $12.08 million in 2026. The largest expenses are drivers, wages and benefits and fuel.
Unrelated to the draft budget, the transit commission received an official approval level for five projects from the federal government to the tune of $4.65 million
The regional route between Banff and Canmore could see a third bus added for weekend and statutory holidays to follow suit with the weekday service that began in 2023. If approved, it’s expected to start February 2024.
The draft budget noted a survey of riders showed they wanted more frequent service and later service for the regional bus between Banff and Canmore.
The route saw an increase to three buses in 2023 and an increase in ridership has continued to take place, with weekdays in July averaging 955 riders a day and weekends of 791 riders per day.
With Moraine Lake closed to personal vehicle traffic starting earlier this year, Bean said there’s no immediate plans to offer Roam service to the popular destination due to a limitation on buses and staff.
He noted it could happen in the future, but isn’t in budgeted plans. He added having service between Moraine Lake and Lake Louise could have logistical and capacity issues such as the amount of riders going in each direction varying.
James Eastham, a spokesperson for Parks Canada’s Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay field unit, said there are 106 approved commercial transit providers that bus 11 or more people, allowing them to go to Moraine Lake.
Among the potential service level requests are an increase in service hours for each of routes 1 and 2, an extension of those routes summer season to Thanksgiving Day weekend and an additional service hour to Banff’s industrial compound in the morning by route 1.
For Canmore, the potential service level asks listed are an electric or hybrid bus purchase and fall and winter service for the Grassi Lakes route that begins in 2024. Three hybrid or electric buses for the regional route between Banff and Canmore are listed, but not formally asked.
While the budget will be finalized in October, with Canmore council starting budget talks in November and Banff council’s service review beginning in December, there could be potential changes in January if the respective council’s add service levels.
“If Banff and Canmore through their council deliberations choose to add more transit service for their local routes, we potentially could amend our budget in January once other council’s budgets are approved,” Bean said.
Corrie DiManno, one of two Banff council representatives on the commission, said with all that’s been invested into Roam and the push to provide alternative transit means for people it was important to continue to bolster the service.
“We need to continue to support the system that we’ve built that’s become so successful and if these are the type of programs and additions that are going to help move us into the future, then I don’t want to put any roadblocks in Roam’s way. … It’s quite literally helping our Bow Valley moving sustainably,” she said.
Roam transit has been among the most successful public transit systems in Canada to rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic. With many transit services continuing to be well below pre-COVID-19 ridership levels, Roam has surpassed its yearly record ridership numbers with four-and-a-half months remaining in 2023.
Bean said as of Aug. 22, Roam had 1.67 million riders in 2023, surpassing the record ridership last year that had 1.65 million people use the service over 12 months.
“With our increases in ridership this year and the numbers we’re seeing, it’s thanks to our drivers and ambassadors that we’re able to do that and move that many people and keep riders happy,” Bean said.
The August agenda lists transit ridership on all routes growing between 18.3 per cent to 99.33 per cent compared to 2022 numbers.
“It’s a sign of what the future is going to look like with people looking to spend time in natural ideal communities,” said commission chair Joanna McCallum, one of Canmore’s two representatives. “We have invested and it’s great, with my Canmore hat on, to see the success in Canmore since 2019 and I look forward to feeding that success.”
DRAFT OPERATING, CAPITAL REQUISITION
TOWN OF BANFF
2024: $3.06 million
2025: $3.17 million
2026: $3.34 million
TOWN OF CANMORE
2024: $2.32 million
2025: $2.46 million
2026: $2.52 million
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT No. 9
2024: $741,472
2025: $761,368
2026: $772,875
PARKS CANADA
2024: $2.24 million
2025: $2.36 million
2026: $2.42 million
ALBERTA PARKS
2024: $98,727
2025: $100,938
2026: $103,217
