With council’s approval on Tuesday night, the Town of Blackfalds will go along with an agreement with Burman University to create a universal bus pass for students in an attempt to increase ridership for BOLT Transit.

However, many on council, like Rebecca Stendie, were disappointed the plan will involve cutting Saturday service in favour of a Sunday charter that will only be available to Burman students.

So far, charter buses would prioritize local service, and the plan is for just one out of four charters each month, to leave Lacombe.

“It is a little bit discouraging, seeing as we do have a large population of seniors and youth who use it on Saturdays to access Red Deer for jobs or shopping and now they’re going to have to find alternatives to get there,” Stendie said.

However, the impact appears to be relatively small. The councillor said that on average, only about 17 people ride the BOLT on Saturdays — fewer passengers than what would be seen in a single weekday trip.

She’s optimistic that charter service can be expanded.

“We’re absolutely hopeful that that will change and I think that’s a big reason why I suggested we have a committee with Lacombe so we can sit down and discuss these things with them. We can make it work for both our communities,” Stendie said.

Last month, Lacombe city council voted to stay in the regional transit system and enter the Burman deal as well.

The agreement also involves charging every student $200 and changing the schedule by adding an extra weeknight trip.