Moscow to use only municipal tow trucks

Since 25 September 2018, Moscow has used only city-owned tow trucks after the Moscow Parking Administrator stopped contracting private tow truck operators.

Until recently, private contractors provided towing services to the Moscow Parking Administrator. It was not uncommon for city residents to complain about drivers from private companies failing to comply with the traffic code or for their careless attitude towards the towed cars during their transfer to the car pounds. This year, the Moscow Parking Administrator signed a contract for the delivery of 98 tow trucks in order to phase out all private contractors. This brought the total number of tow trucks owned by the city to 270.

“All Moscow Parking Administrator employees have to follow strict guidelines and instructions. Discipline and compliance with safety rules are essential for us. Drivers must be confident that their cars will be safe during towing. By purchasing tow trucks and refusing to work with private tow truck operators we can create additional jobs and make our work even more effective,” Director General of the Moscow Parking Administrator, Alexander Grivnyak, said.

The decision to tow away a car can be taken only by an official, i.e. an inspector of the Moscow Administrative Road Inspection or State Traffic Safety Inspectorate (Traffic Police). Cars are towed away if parked in areas covered by No Parking and No Stopping signs, on pedestrian crossings, public transit stops, tramway tracks, in tunnels or on non-parking areas of the road, on special-purpose lots, and in disabled parking spaces without entitlement, as well as in other places where parking is prohibited.

Drivers can identify the car pound where their vehicle was taken by calling the Moscow Parking Administrator on a 24-hour hotline  at +7 (495) 539-54-54 or dialling 3210 (free calls from mobile phones), or by using Moscow Parking mobile application.

In order to get a towed car back, drivers need to obtain permission for its return. This requires a visit to a Traffic Police office or to the Moscow Administrative Road Inspection that processed the towing documents, where the driver will be given a copy of a report on an administrative offence or a copy of a towing report.

After that, they need to go to the car pound and show documents confirming vehicle ownership along with the copy of the report. Once there, drivers will get an invoice so that they can pay the towing and parking fees. Those who choose to pay the fees before getting their car back (at the impound lot) are entitled to a 25 percent discount. Overall, drivers have 60 days to pay the towing fee on top of a parking fee that applies if the car stays at the impound lot for more than 24 hours. This daily parking fee is calculated from the moment the car is towed away until it is returned to its owner.

The fine for parking in an inappropriate place is to be paid within 60 days. If the fine is found to have been wrongly imposed, the towing fees can be recovered within eight days.

Read instructions at mos.ru on how to find out whether your car has been towed away, and what documents will be needed to get it back.