Lethal Wrecker Service will no longer be towing on Grounds as of 7 a.m. this morning because it failed to meet the requirements set by the University for contracted private towing companies, said Rebecca White, director of parking and transportation.
Lethal Wrecker was one of four private towing companies that tow on Grounds. The contracts of the other three companies were not terminated.
George Morris, owner of Lethal Wrecker Service, declined to comment on the termination.
The contract between the University and the individual towing companies states that companies cannot charge more than a $30 base fee for on-Grounds towing.
Towing company owners said the University's $30 maximum towing fee is unreasonable.
Both Jean Collier, office manager of Collier's Towing Service, and Barbara Cosner, partner of Charlottesville Wrecker Service, expressed a desire for the University to raise its cost of towing.
"I think the University's $30 fee is behind the times considering the cost of insurance and gas now," Cosner said.
Morris said Lethal charges a base fee of $30 for in-town towing, not associated with the University. That fee can vary depending on the size of the car and can be as high as $50. He added that prices for illegal parking are different, but said Lethal Towing always remains within state guidelines -- set at $95 for the basic cost of towing.
The maximum base fee can be misleading, however. Extra costs, which the towing companies said are not regulated by the state, add up quickly.
Fourth-year Engineering student Sam Sierra said he mistakenly parked his car in a no-parking zone off Grounds early Saturday morning and was towed by Lethal Wrecker Services. Sierra said his total bill came to $145 -- $95 for the basic towing cost, $30 for an after-hours release fee and an additional $20 for special equipment used to remove his Honda Civic.
Collier's Towing Service, which dominates much of the private apartment towing near Grounds, varies its prices based on each contract it has with the individual companies.
Collier said the contract with MSC Properties, for example, sets the base towing price at $45. For each 24-hour period it stores the car, it charges an additional $15, as well as $15 for after-hours pick up.
Second-year College student Lisa Damico said Colliers Towing Service charged her $60 when her car was towed from the MSC-owned Oxford Hills apartment complex.
Charlottesville Wrecker Service, which won a bid last year to be the official towing service for the City, tows upon the request of the police, and its base price for towing is $35, Cosner said.
Cosner added the company charges a $15 fee for every 24-hour period it stores the car and $25 for after-hours pick-up.
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