A pilot project launching this fall will allow single drivers to pay to use the new high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes on the QEW, but it comes with a cost.

Each term is three months long and costs $180.

Last December, the province announced that existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes between Trafalgar Road in Oakville and Guelph Line in Burlington will now be designated as HOT lanes.

On Thursday, Transportation Minister Stephen Del Duca said the four-year pilot project will start on Sept. 15, but only for drivers lucky enough to score a permit.

“We are taking a responsible approach and issuing a limited number of permits to ensure that these lanes continue to operate as smoothly as people in the region are accustomed to,” Del Duca told reporters.

“The ministry will make available a limited number of permits through a draw each permit term.”

Around 1,000 permits will be available each term. The term will be valid from Sept. 15 to Dec. 31, allowing drivers to have an extra two weeks to use the HOT lanes only for the first term.

“By limiting the number of permits […] we are shifting our focus for only the QEW pilot from revenue generation to introducing a new travel method,” Del Duca said.

Permit applications will be available online Aug. 1-21 through ServiceOntario.

Drivers with two or more occupants will be able to use the lanes without a permit for free.

The goal is to eventually have a network of HOT lanes across the region to help relieve congestion.

The province hopes to launch a 15.5-kilometre stretch of dedicated HOT lanes with electronic tolling on Highway 427, from south of Highway 409 to north of Rutherford Road, in 2021.