Tired of the HOV lanes in Toronto? These people are here to help

WATCH: The opening ceremony of the Pan Am Games will be held this Friday in Toronto. The excitement and some competitions have already begun, as have the traffic headaches. As Mike Drolet tells us, some entrepreneurs are hoping to cash in by helping commuters get out of the gridlock.

TORONTO – Everyone agrees that the traffic in Toronto is horrible, but a few people are trying to make your commute quicker and more pleasant.

Since June 29, select stretches of highways in the city have had one lane changed to a High Occupancy Vehicle lane (HOV), to prepare for an increase in traffic due to the Pan Am Games.

With harsh penalties for violating the rules, and many HOV lanes empty, it has led to a rash of hateful social media posts criticizing the lanes.

But some Torontonians are getting inspired, and have decided to try to capitalize on the collective annoyance.

Ads for passengers willing to drive with you so you can “hop in the fast lane” have been cropping up on classified websites like Kijiji and Craigslist.

View image in full screen

Michael Burton of Georgetown partnered with his friend to offer two passengers to a single driver.

“Part of the deal is that for 55 dollars, Kris and I will sit in your car so you can take advantage of the HOV lanes,” Burton explained.

“The trick is that we want to have a say in the playlist, and we want to be able to snack. Now the driver doesn’t have to give us snacks, we want to bring our own snacks.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The trick is that we want to have a say in the playlist, and we want to be able to snack. Now the driver doesn't have to give us snacks, we want to bring our own snacks."

Burton hasn’t had any customers yet, but he’s hopeful.

“One girl from Oshawa said ‘you know what, if you were in Oshawa, I’d pick you up no problem’” he said. “But we’d need someone to pick us up from Georgetown.”

He also told Global News they would provide great conversations for the long drive in.

READ MORE: Police asking motorists to adapt to Pan Am HOV lane restrictions

“Some current events we might be more informed on than others,” he explained. “I’m personally a big hockey fan, if you want to talk about Mike Babcock, if you want to talk about the Phil Kessel trade… Anything like that.”

Burton called himself the ‘originator’ of the idea, but similar ads have been all over the internet lately.

“The need is there,” said one of the original posters of the Cruise Brothers ad on Kijiji. “We’ve been getting responses all day long.”

“Daily, [traffic] is just a gong show. It further adds to the congestion when a car is pulled over,” Tyler of the Cruise Brothers said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Daily, [traffic] is just a gong show. It further adds to the congestion when a car is pulled over," Tyler of the Cruise Brothers said.

The Cruise Brothers want to take the idea one step further. They plan to wear sponsored clothing so they can offer cheaper fares.

The NASCAR-like jumpsuits would allow them to offer one way trips so they can get back home from where ever the driver wanted to go.

Ultimately, both offers will still get you on your way faster.

“We can save people 25-30 minutes,” Burton explained. “And for some people, time is money, so we’re here to help out.”