‘Protections in for consumers’: Independence approves new rules for tow companies
Independence City Council members have signed off on new rules more closely regulating the tow service industry, outlining new requirements for how Independence towing companies can operate.
The changes come after questions were raised about Independence’s city codes for tow operators last year, which led Independence City Council member Brice Stewart to kick off an effort to update the codes governing such businesses.
In March, council members approved changes to the code modeled after rules Kansas City has for tow operators.
The changes include requirements for tow truck companies to clearly label their vehicles with a name and phone number for their business, take payments by cash, card or any mobile payment service, and have towed vehicles stored at a facility where owners can pick them up 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The codes also require businesses to provide written, itemized receipts, keep a detailed towing log that can be inspected by the city or a vehicle owner and maintain other basic business practices.
As council members approved the changes in March, City Manager Zach Walker told them the city would be, “Putting some protections in for consumers and just helping tow companies operate on the same level playing field.”
Walker said then the city would do outreach to local towing companies about the changes to the city’s rules.
Stewart said he pushed for the effort in part because of a personal experience he had with a towing company years ago.
Stewart said his vehicle slid off an icy road, and a tow truck passing by stopped, pulled him out and got him going again, but only after he was told he owed $400, in cash, for about 30 minutes of work. He went to a nearby bank and got the cash to pay for the service.
He can chuckle about the episode now, but said he always felt a little burned by the incident.
“I had the money back then, but what if I wouldn’t have had it?” he said. “There’s a lot of people, they can’t come up with $400 cash, especially in the middle of the night. And if they don’t have any friends or family that’ll loan it to them, their car could be sitting in the tow lot for a couple of days racking up even more fees. I think it’s just a bad road to go down.”
This story was originally published May 23, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
