Buses are rolling again in Saskatoon after a month-long lockout of transit workers by the City of Saskatoon.

Service resumed at 6 a.m. Monday with free bus rides being offered for the rest of October at an estimated cost to the city of $450,000. The city says October UPass, eco pass, and long-term passes will be refunded.

City council voted in a special meeting Saturday to withdraw a second lockout notice to the transit union issued Friday in the wake of a labour relations board ruling that the lockout that began last month was illegal.

“The Labour Relations Board ruling has created a large degree of uncertainty,” Mayor Don Atchison told reporters Saturday night. “It is because of our concern for our employees, transit riders and the citizens of Saskatoon that we have decided to end the lockout. We do not want to put them in the middle of a long drawn-out legal dispute.”

 Union president Jim Yakubowski told CTV in a phone interview bus drivers were on board to get back to work.

Transit workers were first locked out Sept. 20, but the lockout was deemed illegal by the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board on Friday.

The labour board ruled the city unlawfully locked out over 300 transit workers because a complaint, regarding the discipline of a city bus driver, was outstanding when the lockout notice was issued. The board also stated changes the city made to the union's benefits, privileges and conditions of employment during the pending complaint — which was resolved Oct. 3 — were unlawful.

The city was ordered to cease and desist the lockout and to pay compensation to drivers. The board stated the city cannot issue another lockout without providing 48-hour notice and notifying the provincial government.

Hours after the ruling, the city issued a second 48-hour lockout notice.

The union quickly argued the second lockout would also be ruled illegal because of pending unfair labour practice applications. Yakubowski stressed the outstanding complaints would also prevent transit workers from striking.

The city had said prior to Saturday night’s news conference it was in a legal lockout position.