College campuses
Capital University towing and roadside help at College and Main
A small campus on a quiet Bexley street, and a car that picked the worst week to quit. We handle jumps, lockouts and tows for Capital students and their families.
- Open 24/7, 365 days
- Flatbed-only fleet
- Price quoted before dispatch
- Licensed & insured
Capital University has been in Bexley since 1876, on a compact campus where College Avenue meets East Main Street. It's a walkable place, and that's part of the trouble: students who walk everywhere during the week let their cars sit, then discover on a Friday that the battery gave up somewhere around Tuesday. Auto Lyft USA provides Capital University towing and roadside help for that Friday, and for every other kind of bad day a car can have near campus.
Because Bexley is a residential city with tidy streets and a busy stretch of Main, our drivers load and unload carefully and keep the flatbed out of the way of traffic and neighbors. A tow from Capital to a shop on the east side, or to the student's home in another part of Ohio, is a routine job for us.
We run out of a yard on Harrisburg Pike on Columbus's southwest side and reach Bexley by the interstate. Every tow is a flatbed tow, and every price is quoted from the published rate card before a driver is dispatched. Parents can book on behalf of a student and never have to drive in themselves.
Where Capital students get stuck
Small schools have their own rhythm. Fewer cars, but more of them belong to students who drive home on weekends or only use the car for a job off campus. A few situations we see often:
- The Monday after a long break. Cars parked in campus lots through Thanksgiving or spring break sometimes come back to life with a jump, and sometimes need a new battery installed where they sit.
- Game day at Bernlohr Stadium. When Capital plays a home football game, the streets nearby fill with visiting fans' cars. A visitor whose car won't start after the game is as welcome to call as a student.
- Move-out with a car that won't move. When the residence halls empty for summer, a dead car gets in the way fast. We can carry it to a shop, to a family driveway in the Columbus area, or much farther.
- Locked out on Main Street. Students eat, shop and see films along Main. If the keys end up inside the car, a lockout visit opens it without damage.
The long ride home
Plenty of Capital students come from elsewhere in Ohio, and when a car fails late in the spring semester the family often wants it brought home to a mechanic they trust instead of fixed in Columbus. That's a long-distance tow: the car goes on the flatbed in Bexley and comes off in your driveway or at your shop.
The price is easy to estimate yourself. Take the road miles from campus to the destination, multiply by $7, add the $125 hook-up, and add $4 for each mile we drive from our yard to campus. Sales tax is added based on Franklin County, where the pickup happens. The dispatcher will run the same math with you on the phone and confirm the exact figure.
If you'd rather keep the car in central Ohio and have it repaired here, the car can go to the shop of your choice, or we'll point you to an independent garage we partner with that inspects it and sends you a price. We don't repair cars ourselves.
How to tell us where the car is
Capital's campus is small enough that a building name usually does the job. Tell the dispatcher which building or residence hall the car is closest to, whether it's in a campus lot or on a public street, and the nearest cross street. If you're along Main Street, the business you're parked in front of helps. If you're on a Bexley side street, the house number nearest the car is perfect.
Also tell us if the car is facing a wall, wedged between two others or parked with the wheels cranked hard, because that changes how the driver approaches it. When a car can't be pulled straight onto the deck, the driver may need extra time to position it.
Capital University: what drivers ask
How much is Capital University towing to a shop on the east side?
A tow is priced as $125 to hook up, $7 per mile with the car loaded, and $4 per mile for us to reach Bexley from our yard. Shops a few miles out along Main Street or Broad Street keep the loaded miles low. Saturday and Sunday jobs cost $50 more, overnight jobs cost $150 more, and sales tax goes on last. The dispatcher gives you the total before we go.
My car sat on campus over break and won't start. What should I try first?
Check that the dome light or headlights weren't left on, then try a jump. Long sits drain batteries, especially through cold snaps, and most cars restart with a booster. Our jump is a $75 flat visit plus mileage. If the battery won't hold a charge, the driver can bring and install a replacement on site, which saves a tow to a shop.
Can my parents arrange a tow for me from out of town?
Yes. Mom or Dad can phone us or fill in the online request with your contact details and the car's spot on or around campus. They'll get the quote and you'll handle the hand-off with the driver. If the car is going home to them, give us their address and we'll quote the full long-distance trip.
Do you help visitors who come to Capital for games or events?
Yes. You don't have to be a student. If you came to Bernlohr Stadium or the Capital Center for a game and your car won't start, or you've locked the keys in, call us like anyone else. Tell the dispatcher where you parked and what's wrong, and we'll quote a jump, lockout or tow.
Can you install a battery in the campus lot?
Yes. Battery replacement is one of our roadside calls. The driver tests the old battery, brings a replacement that fits your car and installs it, then takes the old one for recycling. The visit is the $75 roadside rate plus mileage, and the battery itself is priced separately; the dispatcher will give you that number when you tell us the year, make and model.
Is Bexley far from your yard?
No, it's a straightforward interstate run from our yard on Harrisburg Pike across the south side and out to the east. The en-route charge is $4 per mile, so the trip to Bexley adds a modest amount to your bill. Nobody can promise an exact arrival minute before the call, but the dispatcher will give you a current estimate on the phone.
Will a flatbed fit on the narrow Bexley streets near campus?
Usually, yes. Our carriers are light-duty flatbeds, the same trucks we use all over Columbus's older neighborhoods. If the car is in a tight spot, such as a narrow drive behind a house, describe it on the call. The driver may need to winch the car out to the street before loading it, which is part of the normal job.
Can I get my car from Capital to a mechanic back home in Dayton or Cleveland?
Yes. That's long-distance towing, and we handle trips across Ohio and into neighboring states. It travels strapped to the deck from Bexley to the shop door. You'll pay the hook-up once, $7 per loaded mile for the trip and the en-route miles to reach campus. Tell us the shop's address and hours so we arrive while someone is there to accept the car.
Need a truck?
Call from Capital University at any hour; you hear the full price first, then a flatbed heads your way.
Services here
Capital University has no affiliation with Auto Lyft USA and has not endorsed our services.
Where the trucks start
The flatbeds that cover Capital University are based on Harrisburg Pike (US-62) on Columbus's southwest side, and the phone is answered around the clock, 365 days a year.
1620 Harrisburg Pike
Columbus, OH 43223
Phone: (614) 633-8163
Email: lisa@autolyftusa.online
Directions to the yard