MONTREAL - Montreal now has an operational toll bridge, the first in the area in the last in 21 years.

A group of officials praised the structure, a ribbon was cut and the first car zoomed through around 12:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

But payment for driving over the new bridge connecting Laval and Montreal on Autoroute 25 is much more than the 25 cents once tossed into bins on the Champlain bridge.

Drivers taking the A25 bridge between Anjou and Duvernay will pay $2.40 per trip during rush hour, and $1.80 at other times.

They also will not have to worry about scraping up spare change. Tolls will be collected electronically so drivers should not have to slow down while they commute.

The program appears to be off to a good start. More than 35,000 drivers have already signed up for a transponder, and will have to pay monthly administration fees of up to $2.50, along with an initial sign-up fee of $50.

A lot of drivers told CTV Montreal that they miss the days when they were pitching quarters at toll bins.

"I think we pay enough for the car licenses and that stuff and gasoline is sort of expensive," one driver said.

Right now, Quebec doesn't have any plans for more toll roads but Transport Minister Sam Hadad didn't rule out the possibility, saying it's "case by case."

Former federal transport minister Jean Lapierre, though, believes toll roads are the future.

"We better get used to toll bridges," he said.

"Nobody can afford it otherwise, and so what we see on the 25 is going to be the exact same formula that we use on the Champlain bridge, I don't see any other scenario."

Most of the toll money will go to the private consortium that paid half a billion dollars to build the bridge. The government gets a smaller share.

Still, some motorists don't like the idea.

"I think we pay enough taxes like it is," said another motorist.

Vehicles that don't have a transponder will still be charged electronically, but will face an extra fee of $3 to $5 per trip.

Those trips are charged more because the public-private partnership that built and will manage the A25 bridge, Consortium 25, will need to photograph a car's license plate and then track down the owner.

Buses, trucks, and cars pulling trailers will also pay higher costs of $1.80-$2.40 per axle.