Heavy users of Highway 407 will receive gas discount coupons and free weekend highway use as benefits under a new loyalty program that could cut their monthly toll bill by as much as 15 per cent.

The perks, being worked out now and scheduled for an official announcement Thursday, are part of a deal with the Ontario government reached last March that settled a nasty legal dispute over rising toll levels.

Although no one's willing to discuss details on the record, a source close to the project said the level of "rewards" will depend on highway use, with top benefits reserved for heavy users who clock more than 1,500 kilometres a month on the toll highway built north of Toronto.

The 407 ETR company that runs the highway has already begun notifying about 100,000 customers that they are immediately entitled to free kilometres and instant gas savings based on their usage over the past six months.

The company will review the number of kilometres driven semi-annually and base the rewards on the previous six months' usage.

In addition to free weekend use, heavy users would also receive special cards entitling them to a discount of up to nine cents a litre on gasoline. Monthly savings would range from 10 to 15 per cent for the highway's heaviest users, the source suggested.

Dale Albers, a spokesperson for 407 ETR confirmed the program was in the works but refused to discuss details. "It's true that we're making final preparations to launch a rewards program on Thursday," Albers said. "While I can't share any details right now, I can tell you that customers will save money both on and off the highway."

The source said 407 ETR expects to give away 40 million weekend kilometres in the first year of the program; over the next four years, motorists could save as much as $40 million.

The legal settlement ended a series of bitter disputes with the province, which accused 407 ETR of raising its tolls illegally.

To comply with the settlement, the company lowered some fees last year.

It also slashed toll charges by as much as half for off-peak use by commercial truckers who use the 108-kilometre east-west highway that parallels Highway 401 north of Toronto.

The 1999 Conservative government of Mike Harris signed a 99-year lease with the firm to run it as a toll road. Dalton McGuinty's Liberals first unsuccessfully sued, then sought redress from toll hikes.