Three weeks ago while staying in Niagara Falls, we decided to take a day trip up to Toronto. I had it planned to park near Bloor and Yonge ($5 all day) and then take public transportation to where we wanted to go (Hockey HOF, Chinatown).

We discovered that the #1 subway line from Yonge/Bloor down to the HOF was being serviced that day. They did have shuttle buses running between the stations however. Not knowing where to board these shuttle buses (found out later that you were supposed to board where a subway station was), we got on when it made a stop near us. They weren't asking for fares even though we were prepared to pay. We got down to the HOF without any problem or surrendering any fare.

Our next stop was Chinatown, but again weren't sure how to get there. We asked one of the shuttle bus drivers and he wasn't sure. He had us get on and he would ask one of his supervisors. We still hadn't paid any fare whatsoever. We reached a stop and he asked someone who appeared to work for the transit company. He told the driver that we wanted to get on the streetcar at University and Dundas and take it to Spadina. He also told the driver to make sure we get transfers. Transfers in hand we got on the streetcar and made it to Chinatown.

We then decide to head back to where our car was parked. I knew we needed to take the streetcar up to the Spadina subway station and take the #2 train to Bloor/Yonge. The transfers we had when we first got on the streetcar were still good (I presume) and we made it up to the subway station. Getting off the streetcar I tried to buy tickets for the subway. I couldn't find a place to buy tickets so I made it upstairs where I found a ticket agent. Told her I needed two tickets to get to Bloor/Yonge. She was wondering who the second ticket was for. Told her for my wife who is waiting downstairs and that we had took the streetcar here. She told me there was no need to buy tickets since we were already "in" the station. Believe me, I had tried to buy tickets but she refused the money.

We made it back to our car without spending a cent on public transportation that day.