Redeeming Air Miles may bring up visions of travel to glamorous locations like Rome or Fiji, but thanks to the City of Edmonton, people can now redeem their points for something considerably more prosaic: a city bus pass.

Under the plan announced Thursday, transit riders can redeem 650 Air Miles to buy a one-month bus pass, which normally costs $74.25. People who wish to get a transit pass this way will have to do so through the Edmonton Transit website.

The program will get more people riding the bus and help them save money, Coun. Amarjeet Sohi said.

"People are having difficulty affording private vehicles, so they are looking at other modes of transportation," he said.

The one-year pilot project is also being tried in Toronto.

On Wednesday, some transit riders expressed skepticism about the initiative.

"I have a hard time imagining it, actually," Scott Lingley said. "I think you probably would just keep piling up your points and use them for an air travel trip."

The plan also doesn't hold much appeal for transit user Bonita Valladares.

"Do I want to cross the North Saskatchewan with my bus pass or do I want to fly?" she said. "I would prefer to fly."

According to the Air Miles website, people in Edmonton can get a round-trip flight to Vancouver by redeeming 900 reward miles for travel in the low season and 1,100 reward miles in high season.