BANFF – The Town of Banff is looking to roll out a major discount on transit passes for low-income residents on Roam’s regional Banff-Canmore and Banff-Lake Louise bus routes.
Administrators will be asking council for permission to offer a 90 per cent discount on passes sold as part of the Banff Access Program on the Banff-Canmore regional Route 3 and on 10-ride passes on Lake Louise Route 8.
“It would provide the same discount for both qualifying levels – tiers 1 and 2 – recognizing council’s strategic priority of a better Banff for residents with a lens to tackle affordability,” said Alison Gerrits, the director of community services for the Town of Banff.
The Banff Access Program provides eligible residents with discounts on classes, programs, transit passes, purchases at participating businesses and more.
A card is provided to residents 18 years old and over, and their children, living under Banff’s affordability measure level of income, who have lived in Banff for at least three months.
In February 2023, the Town of Banff got word of a $1.4 million provincial grant to support the municipality with subsidized transit passes.
In contrast, larger cities like Calgary and Edmonton have received provincial funding for their low-income transit programs for many years.
The province calculated Banff’s grant based on the total number of annual transit passes issued through the Banff access program and fare-free local service.
“This funding is being issued in the form of a one-time grant with no mention of renewal,” said Gerrits, adding administration could present options at 2024 service review to extend the program in future once demand is better understood.
In 2022, a total of 448 Route 3 passes were sold to 60 Banff Access participants at a total program cost of $8,398.
Given this provincial grant is one-time funding, Gerrits said administration isn’t recommending a program option that would potentially exceed the grant amount within a few years’ time.
“Because the municipality must pay upfront for passes it would then be issuing free of charge, there is concern that their total value may not be maximized by individual pass holders,” she said in a report going to council.
“Administration believes that by offering a 90 per cent discount to the pass offerings, it would likely eliminate any potential for passes to be picked up, never to be used.”
The issue is expected to be discussed at council’s next meeting on Monday, June 12.
