You can ride an entire streetcar line in Toronto for free this week

For six hours on Friday evening, Toronto's busiest streetcar route will be entirely free. A vodka company is covering the cost of fares on the 504 King streetcar line as part of a promotion for the much-anticipated Blue Jays' home opener.

And while the free rides will be provided with rowdy baseball fans in mind, anyone tapping onto King streetcars via Presto card reader or fare machine will be able to ride free of charge.

The partnership between Polar Ice Vodka and the TTC will allow Blue Jays fans attending the home opener to get nice and loaded but still make it home safely.

But it will also be a nice end-of-week bonus for rush-hour commuters and anyone else hitting the town on Friday night, with 504 streetcars offering free rides between 5:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on the evening of the game.

"This year, fans can celebrate the Blue Jays return to Toronto with a free ride on the 504 King on April 8th," said TTC CEO Rick Leary in a press release issued Thursday morning.

Toronto Mayor John Tory shouted out Polar Ice and the TTC, thanking the companies for "providing free King Street streetcar rides to Blue Jays fans as we gear up to celebrate an exciting home opener in Toronto. I know residents in this city have been waiting to see baseball fully back in Toronto this summer and these complimentary rides will help ensure that fans get to and from the game safely."

The parent company of Polar Ice, Corby Spirit and Wine Limited, has held similar promotions in the past, including regular free TTC partnerships on New Year's Eve, another night known for drunken crowds descending on transit lines.

And while that promotion has been absent during the COVID years, it is back once again as the province and city double down on reopenings amid concerns of a 6th wave.

"After two years, I am excited to see the vibrancy of Toronto returning in time for a new baseball season," said TTC Chair Jaye Robinson, words that hopefully age well.

Robinson adds that "specially wrapped blue streetcars" will be out on Toronto streets throughout the month to welcome the Jays back to the city.