Standard local tow inside London runs $95 to $150 base plus a per-kilometre rate to the drop. Battery boost on scene runs $60 to $85 if no tow is needed. Lockout runs $75 to $100. Long distance to Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston or Barrie quotes as a flat rate on the phone, usually $350 to $650 depending on destination. Ask on the call for a firm number.
Core Services
Heavy and Recovery
Specialty Vehicles
Roadside Services
Related Help
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Coverage Areas
Outer Cities
Central-North, Richmond Corridor
Old North London Tow Truck Dispatch, Heritage Streets and Gibbons Park Response
Two things shape Old North London tow calls more than anything else: the Western University academic calendar and the 6-foot-8 heritage garages that will not clear a modern flatbed. Get those two things right on the phone call and the operator saves you a wait cycle.
- Fair quote on the phone
- Wheel-lift for heritage garages
- Multi-vehicle move-out bookings
Academic Calendar Effect
The Western Academic Calendar Runs Old North London Tow Volume
Old North London's call pattern is not seasonal in the usual sense. It runs on Western University's calendar. December exam period locks student cars for three weeks. April exams lock them again for two more. By the time drivers get back to their vehicles, cold snap has drained the 12V battery and half of Piccadilly needs a boost inside four days.
The March reading week creates a mid-semester spike: students drive home to Toronto or Ottawa Friday afternoon, and the cars that made it out sometimes do not make it back on the Sunday return. Highway 401 breakdowns coming into London from the east route through central-north dispatch because the drop is to a Piccadilly, Bruce or Cheapside address.
Frosh week (late August) and move-out (last weekend of April) are the two biggest volume weekends. Move-out especially, because every non-running car that has been parked all semester now needs a tow to a mechanic, a scrap yard, or a long-distance rig to drive home. Junk car removal pays cash on the spot for the non-runners. Flat rate long distance handles the drives home to Toronto or Ottawa.
What Happens After You Call
From Dial Tone to Deck: Old North London Call Flow
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Live dispatcher picks up
Real person, not a menu. Give street name (Piccadilly, Cheapside, Bruce, Grosvenor, Colborne north) and vehicle year, make, model.
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Garage clearance check
If the vehicle is in a heritage garage, dispatcher asks the door height. Six-foot-eight or under, wheel-lift. Above eight feet, either rig.
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Firm quote, no surprises
Rate lands before hookup. Cash, e-transfer, credit card, or insurance direct if you have a policy and claim number ready.
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Truck rolls, hookup, drop
Operator texts an arrival window. Central-north staging on Richmond means most Old North addresses see the truck inside 40 minutes. Photos by text on request.
Booking From Out of Town
How Parents in Toronto or Ottawa Book a London Tow By Phone
A big share of Old North London tow calls come from parents who live in Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston or Barrie. Their student calls from a Piccadilly rental at 11 pm to say the car will not start. The parent calls dispatch, gives the address, the vehicle details, and a credit card. The student steps outside to meet the operator without needing to authorize payment at the scene.
Multi-vehicle bookings for a shared student house on Cheapside or Bruce are common on move-out weekend. One phone call, three or four vehicles scheduled across a two-hour window. Some head to a mechanic in London for a fix, some to a scrap yard for cash pickup, some onto a flatbed for a long-distance drive home. Ask about the multi-vehicle flat rate on the initial call.
For long-distance runs where the vehicle drives to Toronto or Ottawa, dispatch confirms the destination address and the drop time. Photos of vehicle condition go to the parent by text before the deck lifts and again at the drop. That paperwork trail matters if there is any insurance claim later. Insurance direct billing works from anywhere if the policy covers the tow event.
Related Services in ONL
Services Old North London Callers Book Most
Four services matched to the student rental cycle and heritage garage clearance realities.
Battery Boost, Post-Exam
Dead battery from three weeks of exam parking. Boost on scene in eight minutes.
Learn moreJunk Car Cash Pickup
Non-runner at semester end. Cash on the spot, plate paperwork included, free tow.
Learn moreLong Distance to Toronto
Flat rate to Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston, Barrie. Photos at pickup and drop.
Learn moreFlatbed for AWD and EVs
Subaru, Tesla, Rivian. Never wheel-lift. Extended ramp on request.
Learn moreQuestions Parents Ask Most
Four Questions Old North London Callers Ask Every Week
Not the usual boundary map or coverage questions. Real ones from actual dispatch calls.
Yes, and it happens weekly during term. Give dispatch the pickup address, the vehicle location (driveway, on-street, garage) and the key handoff plan (leave keys with a housemate, in a lockbox, or with a specific neighbor). Operator arrives inside the booked window, texts a photo when hooked up, and drops at the specified destination. Payment happens by phone card, no on-scene authorization needed.
Rough clearance chart. Original single-car garages built before 1930 on Piccadilly, Cheapside, Bruce, Grosvenor, Colborne north: usually 6-foot-6 to 6-foot-10. Wheel-lift only. Garages rebuilt in the 1960s to 1980s: usually 7-foot-2 to 7-foot-8. Wheel-lift, sometimes compact flatbed. Modern rebuilds and detached new-builds: 8-foot-plus. Both rigs work. Measure your door height once and note it, so future calls skip the guessing.
Yes and it is the busiest weekend Old North London runs. Book the earliest slot you can, ideally three to five days ahead. Give dispatch the vehicle list (year, make, model, running or non-running) and destination for each. Multi-vehicle bookings from a single address get a flat rate that saves cost versus four separate calls. Movement usually spreads across a two-hour window so the operator has time between hookups.
Common pattern. Gibbons Park lot access from the Grosvenor or Cheapside side. Family cars sitting cold through a 2 hour walk in January or February drop the 12V. Boost service on scene in 25 to 40 minutes response, plus 8 to 10 on scene. Kids stay in the park pavilion warm while the operator works. Standard rate, no tow needed if the boost holds.
What ONL Callers Say
Three Reviews from Old North London Callers
★★★★★
Called from Ottawa at 11:30 pm because my son's Honda died at his rental on Bruce Street. Dispatcher took my card over the phone, sent a boost operator, and my son got a photo of the running car at 12:15 am.
Ottawa
★★★★
I told them the garage was 6-foot-9 and the flatbed showed up anyway. They noticed at the driveway, called dispatch, and a wheel-lift was there in another 20 minutes. Fair price at the end.
Piccadilly
★★★★★
I run a small shop on Wharncliffe and I refer three or four Old North calls to this line every month. Dispatchers actually know the heritage garage clearances. Recommended.
Wharncliffe
★★★★★
Move-out weekend, flat rate quote from London to Ottawa for my son's car. Half what per kilometre would have cost. Driver texted photos at pickup and drop.
Cheapside
From the Blog
Reading for Parents of Western Students and Heritage Homeowners
How to prep a student car for a semester of parking, heritage garage clearance measuring, flat-rate long-distance basics.
Driver's Guide
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Reliable Towing Company Near You
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Emergency Service
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What qualifies as an emergency, what happens when you call, how much it costs, and how to stay safe while you wait, day or night in London Ontario.
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Battery Boost
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Read articleSave the Number
For the 11 PM Call You Do Not Want to Make
Save this number in your student's phone and yours. Parents in Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston, Barrie book London tows by phone every week. Card on file, keys with a housemate, operator handles the rest.
Payment by phone, keys with a housemate, photos at drop. Insurance direct billing available.