The City of Moose Jaw wants to know if residents are willing to pay for bus service on Saturdays. 

City council voted on Monday night to keep the Saturday bus service running until May 1 and to engage residents with a survey about bus service before that date. 

The cost of running the Saturday service is being offset with city council cutting $20,000 out of their travel budget. 

This reverses a decision made during a Dec. 9 budget meeting where council voted to stop the Saturday service as of Feb. 1. 

esses knew about the service. According to city administration, the dial-a-bus services received an average of two calls for service per Saturday during the pandemic. 

Reinstating the Saturday bus service didn’t come without some opposition. 

Coun. Heather Eby reminded everyone how much the city is subsidizing for the bus service that the taxpayers are paying. 

“I think it's important that people remember that transit is subsidized in 2021 to the tune of $1.3 million. So, if the citizens of Moose Jaw want six stated week service, they need to remember that is the price tag,” she said. 

Coun. Dawn Luhning pointed to the report that council received on Dec. 9 about how little the Saturday service is being used. 

The report said when full service was restored in September an average of 180 passengers used the Saturday service, equating to $8.39 per trip. Monday through Friday saw an average of 500 passengers including the extra school routes at a per-trip cost of $7.10. 

“Just because we've had a few people tell us they're not happy with our decision doesn't make it that suddenly everybody is using the bus now on Saturday and where did my service go,” Luhning said.  

“We have to look at these things rationally and with a little bit of common sense in my opinion.” 

The motion to restore the service and have a community survey by May 1 was passed 4-3 with councillors Luhning, Eby and Kim Robinson opposed.