Getting Around Banff Without a Car: Every Option, Priced
Roam Transit from C$5, the Parks Canada shuttle, or a hop-on-hop-off bus pass. How to reach Lake Louise and Moraine Lake with no car — and what each option really costs.
Banff is one of the few major national parks where not having a car is arguably an advantage. Moraine Lake Road is closed to private vehicles, Lake Louise parking costs C$42 a day and fills before sunrise, and the whole valley is served by a decent public bus network. Here is every option, honestly priced — including the ones cheaper than what we sell.
Option 1: Roam Transit — the cheap one
Roam is the local public bus. It is real transit, run for residents as much as visitors, and it is by far the cheapest way to move.
| Roam pass | Adult | Youth / Senior | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banff local — single | C$2 | C$1 | Around the townsite |
| Banff local — day pass | C$5 | C$2.50 | Around the townsite |
| Regional (Canmore–Banff) — single | C$6 | C$3 | Canmore ↔ Banff |
| Regional — day pass | C$15 | C$7.50 | Canmore ↔ Banff |
| Lake Louise–Banff Express — single | C$12.50 | C$6.25 | Banff ↔ Lake Louise |
| Lake Louise–Banff Express — day pass | C$25 | C$12.50 | Banff ↔ Lake Louise |
| System-wide day pass (all routes) | C$30 | C$15 | Everything |
Children 12 and under travel free on all routes.
If you want to reach Lake Louise from Banff on a budget, the Lake Louise–Banff Express day pass at C$25 is the answer, and nothing we sell will beat it on price. Take it.
What Roam does not do is build its route around the sights, hand you a host who plans your day, or guarantee you a seat on a specific later bus. It is a bus network. It is excellent at being a bus network.
Option 2: The Parks Canada shuttle — the only way some people reach Moraine Lake
Moraine Lake Road is closed to personal vehicles year-round (permanent since 2023). The Parks Canada shuttle runs from the Lake Louise Park & Ride, connecting both Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.
- Runs roughly every 30 minutes, 6:30 AM to 5:00 PM, last return around 7:30 PM.
- Reservation required. Released 15 April 2026 at 8:00 AM MDT (40% of seats), with the remaining 60% released two days before departure, also 8:00 AM MDT.
- Reservation fee: C$3.50 online, C$5.50 by phone.
- Free parking at the Park & Ride with a reservation.
- The road is seasonal — roughly 1 June to 12 October.
It is cheap and it works. The catch is entirely in that reservation: two release moments, both at 8:00 AM MDT, both competitive in July and August. If you are the kind of traveller who will set an alarm to click “book” — do this. If you are not, do not build your only Moraine Lake plan on it.
Option 3: The hop-on-hop-off day pass — the flexible one
The Banff hop-on-hop-off day pass is a commercial sightseeing bus: from $89 USD per person, one calendar day, unlimited hop-on and hop-off along a six-stop route.
- Stops: Banff → Johnston Canyon → Lake Louise Gondola → Lake Louise (×2) → Moraine Lake
- Departs: Moose Hotel & Suites, 345 Banff Avenue (7:45 / 9:30 AM) or Banff Heritage Train Station (7:50 / 9:35 AM)
- Returns: 4:55 PM and 6:00 PM, along the Bow Valley Parkway wildlife corridor
- Guaranteed seat on any bus at any time — this is the actual product
- Free day parking at the Banff train station if you drive to the bus
- Rated 4.9/5 by 302 verified guests, free cancellation up to 24 hours before
- Park entry NOT included — Parks Canada charges that separately
It is not the cheapest option on this page and we are not going to pretend it is. What the extra money buys is the freedom to change your mind at 11 AM: to stay two more hours at Moraine Lake and still have a guaranteed seat home, with no reservation lottery and no parking lot.
Option 4: A fixed-schedule guided shuttle
Several operators run return shuttles to the lakes on a fixed timetable, from $47–$63 USD. Some of them — including the $47 Lake Louise & Moraine Lake half-day shuttle — genuinely include the National Park pass in the ticket price, which is a real saving worth checking for.
You trade flexibility for price: fixed departure, fixed return, roughly 1 hr 15 min at Lake Louise and 1.5 hrs at Moraine Lake, and that’s your day. For a lot of visitors that is exactly enough. Browse them on our Banff day tours page.
The honest ranking
| If your priority is… | Take |
|---|---|
| Lowest price | Roam Transit — C$5 to C$30/day |
| Moraine Lake on a budget | Parks Canada shuttle (if you can win the reservation) |
| A guaranteed lakes day with no admin | A fixed-schedule shuttle from $47 USD |
| Freedom to change your plan mid-day | The hop-on-hop-off day pass from $89 USD |
| Skiing | None of these — see the ski pass guide |
Whatever you choose, you still need park entry
None of the options above is park admission. Outside the 19 June – 7 September 2026 free-admission window, you owe Parks Canada C$12.25 per adult per day, on top of whatever you paid to move around — unless your specific tour bundles it, which a couple of them do.
Getting around Banff and being allowed into Banff are two separate purchases. That confusion is the entire reason this site exists.
See Banff's Big Four in One Day
Johnston Canyon, the Lake Louise Gondola, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake — hop on and off all day, with a guaranteed seat on any bus. Rated 4.9/5 by 302 guests. Free cancellation. Parks Canada park entry is separate and not included.
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