The downtown bus is free and I still looked for the card reader

First week working in Downtown, I tried the free bus. I stood at the stop with my card already out. The driver looked at the card, then at me, and waved me on. Nobody scanned anything. I rode three stops sure I had skipped a step. I had not. It is free, it comes often enough, and it beats circling for parking. Now I leave the car at home on weekdays. The card stays in my wallet, which still feels slightly wrong.