PWT was featured prominently in a recent CBC Calgary news story reporting a huge jump in transit usage in Banff National Park. 2023 saw more visitors leave their vehicles at home to take advantage of On-it Regional Transit, Roam Local Transit and the Parks Canada Shuttle service operated by Diversified Transportation.
Diversified Transportation Launched its Parks Canada Shuttle Service in 2023
Diversified Transportation just wrapped up a very successful year one of a three-year contract to provide shuttle service to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Ridership experienced a nearly 30% increase in passengers from 2022. The scheduled service included stops to and from the Park and Ride at the Lake Louise Ski Hill to the Lake Louise lakeshore, Moraine Lake, the community of Lake Louise, and the Lake Louise Campground.
On-It Regional Transit Had a Record-Breaking Year
With 4 million visitors a year coming to Banff National Park, On-It Regional Transit saw a dramatic increase in ridership.
The summer of 2023 was the service’s busiest season ever, with 976 journeys, the introduction of a Thursday evening service and 42,745 tickets sold – an increase of 72.9% (24,724 in 2022). On-it also ended the season with a seat utilization of 84.22%, an increase of 10.8%.
Not only did On-it see record numbers of travellers, but it extended service to Thanksgiving weekend for the first time and saw unprecedented ticket sales, with seats at 98.57% of capacity.
Jonathan Weal, Director of Business Development, says there are big plans to build on the success of 2023.
“Our goal, and that of our partners, is to increase service daily during the summer months and weekends throughout the year. Our thanks to our partners at Roam Transit, the Town of Banff, the Town of Canmore and Parks Canada for their support and belief in this service and for the drivers and support staff at Southland Calgary for making this a reality every weekend.”
Southland has operated the On-it Calgary to Bow Valley route (Banff and Canmore) since 2017. Initially, the project was a joint venture between the Calgary Regional Partnership and the Towns of Banff, Canmore and Parks Canada. After the dissolution of the Calgary Regional Partnership in early 2018, Southland has been awarded successive contracts through RFP, most recently in 2022.
Southland continues to provide the Transportation, ticket booking through Betterez, Customer Service through our Call Centre, and Service Ambassadors at the stops in Calgary and Banff.
