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Supervisor Wiener asks MTA to address fees for owners of stolen, towed vehicles
Summary
Supervisor Wiener introduced a resolution requesting that the Municipal Transportation Agency address how owners of stolen vehicles are charged towing and storage fees when recovered and to consider waiving or reducing fees; the resolution was introduced for the Board's record ahead of the auto-return contract negotiations.
Supervisor Wiener introduced a resolution on Nov. 4, 2014 asking the Board to put on record concerns about fees charged to owners of stolen vehicles that are towed under the city's auto-return contract and to request that the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) address the issue in upcoming contract negotiations.
Wiener described the current process under the auto-return contract: an owner whose car is stolen and later recovered and found by police must retrieve the vehicle within 20 minutes from the officer to avoid immediate tow; owners receive a four-hour grace period for storage fees but after that fees accrue and can become punitive. Wiener said those outcomes can force owners of older vehicles to abandon their cars and that the city previously did not charge recovered stolen-vehicle owners. He asked the Board to request that the MTA seek reforms in the upcoming contract solicitation, including possible fee waivers or longer grace periods, while noting the Board should not reduce the MTA's overall revenue if alternatives are found.
The proposal was introduced as a resolution; Wiener said the auto-return contract is out to bid next year and the Board should convey policy expectations to the MTA during contract negotiations. No formal vote on the resolution was recorded at the Nov. 4 meeting; Wiener said he would circulate the resolution to colleagues and requested their support in committee.
