The Township Committee has introduced and ordinance that would increase the rates charged for towing. A public hearing and adoption is scheduled for Wednesday, March 10.
The fees a towing company is allowed to charge is set through township ordinance, although the township makes no profit from towing. The township does not get a cut from those towing companies after they respond to a call, either.
However, the ordinance, introduced on February 24, sets a rate the towing companies are allowed to charge. It also sets a rotating log for the calls, so that when a car needs to be towed, the companies who have applied to be included on the township’s list will be called on a rotating basis to give them all a fair chance.
Among the new fees that would be charged are: $115 per vehicle per hour for a tow; a clean-up fee of $45 per vehicle will apply for clean-up at the collision scene; a fee for absorbent material for fluids on the roadways at $20 a bag; and a fee for roadside assists, including changing flat tires, jump starting dead batteries, and lock outs, which will not exceed $50.
The rate that is currently charged to a driver or the driver’s insurance company is currently $85 in Plainsboro — lower than the fees in other surrounding communities, where rates average $140 a tow.
Towing companies make an application to be on the towing list, and as long as they comply with the ordinance, they will be called to the scene.
