Impounded cars’ towing fees waived for theft victims living in S.F.

Impounded cars’ towing fees waived for theft victims living in S.F.

Victims of car theft in San Francisco saw a measure of relief Tuesday as the city launched a kinder and cheaper policy on fees charged to people whose recovered vehicles were towed.

Under the old approach, if your stolen car was towed, you would have been on the hook for, at the very least, a $225.75 fee charged by the contracting tow company.

The tow fee is now waived, and victims of car theft have a full 48 hours to pick up their vehicles before storage fees kick in.

The change comes after the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency uncovered numerous complaints from unlucky auto-theft victims who, after having to deal with a stolen car, were hit with hundreds of dollars in fees.

“People whose cars are stolen shouldn’t be victimized a second time by having to pay significant towing fees and fines,” said San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, who wrote the resolution.

By midday Tuesday, at least one happy car theft victim had the fees waived, said Sam Singer, a spokesman for AutoReturn, the company that processes impounded vehicles in San Francisco.