Newport Beach Woman Wins $500 in Free Tolls

A Newport Beach woman -- and longtime FasTrak User -- is the third person from the city to win free tolls via the .

Theresa Maguire, a local empowerment coach, was seelcted at 12:20 p.m. on April 15 as one of the two winners in the monthly $500 free toll giveway being held by The Toll Roads. Maguire was selected while driving on the southbound 241 Toll Road's Tomato Springs Mainline Toll Plaza. She has been using the Toll Roads since 1997 when the freeways are backed up with traffic.

“When I found out that I won $500 in free tolls I was excited and grateful! I love having options and when freeways are congested – as they usually are – it makes life so much easier to hop on The Toll Roads and avoid all the traffic,” Maguire said.

Laguna Niguel resident Jake Thomason -- a medical device sales representative who drives the Toll Roads daily-- was also randomly selected on April 24 for the $500 free toll giveaway. Thomason has been a FasTrak user since 2006 and paid his winning toll on the 73 Toll Road at the Aliso Creek off-ramp. Thomason says the $500 in tolls will last him four months.

“I guess I take The Toll Roads for granted because I’ve used them so frequently for years, however there are days when I take the 405 home instead of the 73 and it adds at least a half hour to my trip," he said. "That’s valuable time I could be spending decompressing with my wife and two dogs. To me, that extra time is well worth the toll fees."

Wanna win? Here's how

Each month, two drivers who pay with FasTrak on the 73, 133, 241 or 261 toll roads will be randomly selected to win $500 in free tolls, according to the Transportation Corridor Agencies. Winners will be selected at the end of each month and their accounts credited with $500. Each time a driver takes a trip, their account number will be entered into that month's drawing. TCA officials say only the account holder is eligible to win, not the person driving during the selected trip. The contest continues through Sept. 30.

To be eligible, FasTrak account holders need to log in online or go to thetollroads.com/500 to register. Joyce Hill, deputy director of customer service for the Toll Roads, says once registered, drivers will be automatically entered to win every time they drive the 73, 133, 241 or 261.

“The more trips they take, the better their odds of winning,” Hill said.

Drivers who do not have a TCA FasTrak account can sign up for one at TheTollRoads.com, or in person at the FasTrak Service Center at 125 Pacifica in Irvine. According to TCA officials, FasTrak drivers can save money at every pay point on The Toll Roads, usually $.40 to $.80 compared to the cash toll, saving about $100 or more a year for the average user.