Earlier this year, Highway 407 ETR held a “free rush hour” lottery, where winners were allowed to drive on the highway for two months at no charge.
One Ontario woman said she was thrilled to win the promotion because it allowed her to drive on the toll road and save her time on her commutes.
“Luckily enough I won it, and I was able to use it and get home exponentially faster,” said Caitlyn Hrywna of Hamilton.
However, that joy didn’t last long as Hrywna said she was shocked to receive a bill in March stating she owed $1,797.
She was charged $330 for tolls and other fees, and was charged another $1,540 for an “unrecognizable plate.”
“Since December, every day I used the 407 my vehicle plate was unreadable and they went back and tacked it on every time I used it.”
In a photo Hrywna provided to CTV News, it showed the licence plate on her vehicle had a dark coloured cover that is considered illegal in Ontario.
“I removed the plate cover and haven’t driven with it since,” she said. “It felt like an honest mistake because this is something that I will have to work extremely hard to pay down.”
When CTV News reached out to 407 ETR, a spokesperson said in a statement, “Licence plate covers can pose a readability challenge for our gantry systems which capture and process plate images.”
“It’s important for drivers to be aware that unreadable licence plates, which include those intentionally or unintentionally obstructed, as well as those with licence plate covers, are a violation of the Highway Traffic Act.”
“With that said, we have been in contact with the customer and this issue has been resolved.”
“Without your help, I wouldn’t be stress-free today,” Hrywna told CTV News after her bill was forgiven.
