It's official: Rs 650 for two-wheelers, Rs 1,000 for cars: GBA finalises towing charges

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has fixed towing charges of Rs 650 for two-wheelers and Rs 1,000 for cars as it prepares to resume the system of towing vehicles that are wrongly parked in the city. These charges are in addition to the existing fines that the traffic police charge for parking violations. 

Under the new system, the responsibility of providing ‘towing vehicles’ has been entrusted to the five corporations while the traffic police will use these vehicles to tow wrongly parked vehicles and collect fines from violators.

To start with, each corporation will deploy two vehicles that will also be used for clearing abandoned vehicles, officials said. 

Ahead of bringing back a new system to tow vehicles that are parked in non-designated places in the city, Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has finalized the towing charges, which is Rs 650 for two-wheelers and Rs 1,000 for cars. These charges are in addition to the existing fines that are charged by the city traffic police for ‘wrong parking’. 

Under the new system, the responsibility of providing ‘towing vehicles’ has been entrusted to the five corporations while the traffic police will make use of these vehicles to clear unauthorised parking and collect fines from the vehicle owners. To start with, each corporation will deploy two vehicles that will also be used for clearing abandoned vehicles, officials said. 

While there has been no change in the amount of towing charges, the government has issued a notification amending the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024 to formally bring towing charges into effect.

In a letter to GBA’s chief commissioner, Bengaluru City Traffic police had earlier requested the authority to provide the towing vehicles, stating that unauthorised parking is not just disrupting the smooth flow of traffic but was also posing dangers to human safety. The letter also pointed out issues such as haphazard parking of vehicles illegally on footpaths and intersections among others. 

In the past when towing was in place, private contractors were paid Rs 300 for two-wheelers and Rs 500 for towing cars. Equal sum went to the traffic police. However, in a bid to earn revenue, the private operators went on a towing spree, towing vehicles that were parked even in places that did not have no-parking boards. This had led to furore with the then CM Basavaraj Bommai ordering a brake on towing of vehicles. 

In the revised system, the civic body will compensate agencies through a fixed monthly payment, regardless of the number of vehicles lifted. Officials said the change is aimed at addressing long-standing concerns that the previous system which had incentivised excessive towing. 

Speaking to DH, GBA’s chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao said all five corporations are in the process of hiring private operators to tow vehicles. "We will deploy them after consulting the traffic police," he said.