Highway 407 provides access during peak hours. But few customers will get the opportunity.
In a statement, the toll collection operator and private owner of the 108 km long express route said that from April to June, certain drivers will be allowed to drive on the road from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm and 5:30 pm from Monday to Friday.
Customer promotion is a common business practice and the 407 ETR has provided that opportunity to our drivers throughout the year, a spokesperson for the operator said in an email. This is one way to encourage increased use of the highway among drivers. It also gives drivers more time for urgent tasks.
However, it is not yet clear which process will be used to select the customers who have the opportunity to drive the car for free.
Opened in 1997, Highway 407 north of Toronto runs east-west from Burlington, Ontario to Pickering. Former Premier Mike Harris signed a 99-year lease with a private consortium in 1999 to operate the highway. The operator says traffic on the express route has increased by more than 95 percent since then.
The highway’s toll was slightly increased last February after four years of standing still due to the pandemic. The company said in December that the toll increase for the average customer would be less than $5 a month.
