New $100 spitting fine for Toronto’s GO Transit riders falls in line with penalties across Canada

The provincial organization that governs the commuter transit system across Ontario just introduced some interesting (and expensive) new fines and laws.

Those who live in southern Ontario and make use of the Metrolinx-owned GO Transit can now be fined $75 for putting their feet up on train seats, or can earn themselves a $100 ticket for spitting on a platform at Toronto’s Union station.

Anyone tempted to block off seats with bags during the busy rush hour can forget about that too: doing so can result in a $75 ticket. You can also get fined for not wearing shoes, playing your music too loud or for hanging onto the outside of a train.

For those of you outside of the Greater Toronto Area laughing at the petty laws now governing the region’s commuters, don’t think for a second you’re exempt from these kinds of rules.

There are many other strange transit bylaws across the country. In Edmonton, Alta. for example, you can eat food (in the right container) while commuting via transit all you want, but spilling food is a huge no-no, and can get you a $100 fine.

When you’re in Canada’s capital, you’ll have to leave your swords and crossbows at home, lest you face a fine of up to $500. Sorry Ottawa LARPers, guess you’re taking an Uber instead.

In Winnipeg, Man. it’s against the law to sing on the bus. Doing so can result in a fine of up to $100, too.

If being unable to sing Drake’s “Hotline Bling” on the #21 Portage Express is enough to make you stop taking transit altogether, you’ve got a whole new set of bylaws to contend with if you opt for a bike instead. In Sudbury, Ont. it’s illegal to have a horn on your bike. Doing so could get you fined up to $5,000. And there’s no use protesting your displeasure with transit bylaws by paying your fare in nickels: The Canadian Currency Act makes it illegal to pay for something using too much spare change.

You can read Metrolinx’s new bylaws in detail online. Feel free to print them off and read them on your next commute. That’s still legal. That said, you might want to glance over the fine print of the document if you plan on reading aloud in order to educate your fellow commuters. We wouldn’t want you to get a ticket for making too much noise in the Quiet Zone, now would we?