Westerville, Ohio — Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc service area
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Otterbein University Towing and Roadside Help in Westerville

Students, parents and visitors near Grove Street and Main Street in Westerville can call us for a jump, a lockout or a tow at any hour.

Call (740) 812-9489

Otterbein University towing is the focus here: what to do when your car won't start, gets locked, or needs to be hauled from campus or the streets around it. Otterbein's main address is 1 South Grove Street in Westerville, and its roughly 140-acre campus runs between Alum Creek and State Street (State Route 3), a short walk from the shops and restaurants of Uptown. Most drivers who call us here are students parked near their residence hall, parents visiting for a weekend, or commuters whose car sat through a cold stretch. Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is a Columbus-based towing company with dispatch on (740) 812-9489 around the clock. We are not part of the university; we respond like we would anywhere in Westerville, with posted prices and a truck matched to the job.

Call (740) 812-9489 · Request a tow now (SOS) · Get an online quote

Parking rules worth knowing first

Otterbein's parking page asks students to register every vehicle and display a decal, and it keeps students out of visitor spaces. Visitors on weekdays get a temporary permit from the Otterbein Police Department at 194 West Main Street or from the Business Office at 25 West Home Street, while no visitor permit is needed from Friday at 5 p.m. through Sunday or during summer break. Designated visitor lots include Campus Center West, Cowan Hall and Davis Hall.

The university also lists towing as a consequence for blocking a fire lane or parking in an accessible space without a placard. If your car disappeared from a campus lot, contact campus police at (614) 823-1222 first to learn who moved it. We do not release vehicles from another company's lot, but once you have the release, we can tow the car from there to a shop or home.

Common calls around campus

Student cars tend to sit for days, and a car parked near a residence hall all week can have a drained battery by Friday. Keys locked inside after carrying laundry or groceries is another regular. In winter, a soft tire discovered in the morning is common on older cars.

Move-in weekend and the end of a semester bring a different mix: packed cars, heavier loads and long drives home, which is when a marginal battery or a worn tire tends to give out. Wherever you are, a clear description of the problem helps, because whether the engine cranks slowly, clicks, or does nothing at all tells our driver what to bring.

  • No-start after the car sat through a cold week
  • Keys locked in a car at a residence hall lot
  • Flat tire before class or before the drive home
  • Car that needs to go to a repair shop instead of back on the road

Services and prices

A jump start includes a battery test with a printed report, and if the battery is done we can put in a new one on the spot through mobile battery replacement. Lockout service and tire changes are handled in the parking space. Each of those is a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard on our rate card.

For a car that needs a shop, light-duty towing is $4 a mile en-route, a $125 hook-up and $7 per loaded mile, with the listed surcharges for after-hours, weekend, highway or large-vehicle calls. If you do not have a mechanic nearby, ask about our repair partners.

Every price is posted before we roll, so there is no negotiation at the curb. The driver confirms the job and the total with you before any work starts.

Giving dispatch a good location

Name the lot or building you parked beside, such as Cowan Hall or the Campus Center, and the nearest street, whether that is Grove Street, Main Street, Home Street or State Street. For street parking in Uptown, give the block and the business you are closest to. Tell us the car's color, model and whether it is an electric vehicle, which we always tow with all four wheels off the ground.

Our dispatchers estimate 20 to 40 minutes for most metro calls and 40 to 60 for outer communities, and they tell you which applies to Uptown Westerville when you call. Those numbers are estimates, and traffic on State Route 3 at rush hour can add time.

If you are waiting after dark, stay inside the car with the doors locked or somewhere well lit nearby, and answer when the driver calls to confirm your spot.

Otterbein University: common questions

Frequently asked questions

Do you handle Otterbein University towing for students?

Yes. Any student, parent or visitor can call (740) 812-9489 for a tow or roadside help at or near Otterbein University. We are an independent company, so you pay us directly using our published rate card, and you choose where the car goes, whether that is a nearby shop, your home or another address.

Is this the company that tows for Otterbein parking violations?

We are not affiliated with Otterbein University or its police department, and this page is not about enforcement tows. If your car was removed from a campus lot, call Otterbein police at (614) 823-1222 to find out who took it. Once you have obtained the release, we can move the car from that lot to wherever you want it.

My car won't start after sitting all week. What does a jump cost?

A jump start is a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard. It includes a battery test with a printed report, which tells you whether the battery just needed a charge or is failing. If it is failing, we can install a replacement in the lot so the car is reliable for the next trip.

Do visitors need a permit to park while waiting for us?

According to Otterbein, weekday visitors need a temporary permit from the Otterbein Police Department or the Business Office, but none is needed from Friday at 5 p.m. through Sunday or during summer break. If you are stranded in a spot that requires a permit, let campus police know you are waiting for roadside help.

Can you tow my car home to another city after the semester?

Yes. We offer local and long-distance tows, priced at $4 a mile en-route, a $125 hook-up and $7 per loaded mile, with a highway surcharge when applicable. For a longer trip, call ahead so dispatch can confirm timing. You can also schedule online to avoid the phone-scheduling fee listed on our rate card.

Can you unlock my car in Uptown Westerville?

Yes. Lockouts are a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard, whether you are in a campus lot or parked on a street near Main and State. Tell dispatch the block and a nearby business so the driver can find you quickly,, and keep your phone on so the driver can reach you on arrival.

Related help

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent towing company and is not affiliated with Otterbein University or the Otterbein University Police Department.

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc (dba Columbus Roadside Towing).
Corporate office (private, no walk-ins): 3879 Regatta Ct, Lewis Center, OH 43035
Tow yard & impound lot: 1620 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus, OH 43223
(740) 812-9489 · chris@columbusroadsidetowing.com

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