The Ontario government is launching a high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes pilot project on the QEW in Burlington and Oakville Thursday.
The current high-occupancy vehicle lanes between Guelph Line and Trafalgar Road will be converted to HOT lanes allowing single occupant vehicles with permits to use the lanes.
Vehicles carrying two or more people will still be allowed to use the HOT lanes without charges as well as buses, vehicles with green licence plates, taxis, limos and emergency vehicles.
READ MORE: Ontario to begin testing high-occupancy toll lanes on QEW in September
The province will sell up to 1,000 permits during terms throughout the pilot project. Each term will be three months and permits will cost $180.
Drivers are able to apply for permits through the Government of Ontario.
For drivers who are issued permits, they can automatically renew it for two additional terms before having to re-apply.
READ MORE: Ontario to test high-occupancy toll lanes on QEW by summer of 2016
The permits must be displayed on the inside of the front driver’s side windshield and outside of the rear windshield on the passenger’s side.
If drivers are caught using the HOT lanes without permission, they could face a fine of $110 and three demerit points for improper lane use or a fine between $250 and $2,500 as a “pilot offence.”
The pilot project will last for two to four years while the province tests HOT lane technologies and gathers data. The government will be implementing HOT lanes on Highway 427 in 2021 from south of Highway 409 to north of Rutherford Road.
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