College campuses
Columbus State towing, jumps and lockouts in the Discovery District
Columbus State is a commuter campus, so when your car fails there, it's your ride home that's gone. We get you running again, or get the car to a shop.
- Open 24/7, 365 days
- Flatbed-only fleet
- Price quoted before dispatch
- Licensed & insured
Nobody lives on campus at Columbus State. Everyone drives in, rides the bus, or gets dropped off, which means a car that won't start in a campus lot isn't just an inconvenience; it's the plan for getting to work, picking up a kid, or making the next shift. Auto Lyft USA provides Columbus State towing and roadside service on the downtown campus, around the Spring Street and Cleveland Avenue corner of the Discovery District, at any hour.
The main campus sits on the northeast edge of downtown, boxed in by I-670 to the north and I-71 to the east. That's handy for commuters and awkward for breakdowns: a car that dies on the ramp up to I-71 after an evening lab is in a worse spot than one that dies in a lot. Tell us which it is when you call, because a highway shoulder pickup is priced and staged differently.
Our trucks are flatbeds and our yard is on Harrisburg Pike, a short drive southwest of downtown. The dispatcher quotes the whole price before anyone heads your way, and you can call for yourself, a classmate or a family member stuck in a campus lot.
Why commuter-campus breakdowns are different
Columbus State students tend to be juggling more than classes. Many come straight from a job or go straight to one, and a lot of classes run into the evening. That shapes the calls we get. Batteries fail on cars that sit for a long workday and then a three-hour class. Tires go flat on the way in. Keys get locked in with the backpack while someone runs a form into an office.
A flat-rate roadside visit fixes most of those without a tow. A jump start, a tire change onto your spare, or a lockout is $75 plus mileage from our yard. When it turns out to be a mechanic's problem, we haul it to your mechanic, or to an independent shop we work with that will find the fault and price the fix, and you can figure out a ride home while it's being looked at.
- Evening class ends and the car is dead in the lot.
- A flat noticed at the end of the day, with the spare still under the trunk floor.
- The car overheats on I-670 on the way to campus and you limp it into a lot.
- A car someone has been driving on a check-engine light finally won't restart.
- Keys locked inside with your phone, so you're calling from a classmate's.
Giving us a location on a downtown campus
Downtown addresses look precise on paper but can be hard to find from the street, especially on a campus spread across several lots. Give the dispatcher the nearest building name and the street you entered from, such as Spring Street or Cleveland Avenue, and say whether you're in a surface lot or a structure. If you're in a garage, include the level.
For a breakdown on your commute, the exit you just passed or the ramp you were on matters more than the street. 'Southbound I-71, just past the I-670 interchange, right shoulder' is far better than 'near Columbus State.' Flashers on. On a highway shoulder, the safest seat is usually the one you're in, with the belt still fastened. A car frozen in a moving lane is a job for 911 before it's a job for us.
Prices, plainly
Everything comes from our published rates page. Roadside help is $75 flat plus $4 a mile to reach you. A flatbed tow is $125 to hook up, $7 per mile with your car on the deck and $4 per mile en route. A highway pickup adds $75, overnight hours (10 PM to 6 AM) add $150, and Saturday or Sunday adds $50. Sales tax depends on the county where we pick up, which for the main campus is Franklin County.
Evening students should know where the after-hours line falls: 10 PM. If your class lets out near that time, ask the dispatcher whether the surcharge applies to your call before you agree to the quote. If you served, show your veteran ID and the bill drops 10%.
Columbus State: what drivers ask
What does Columbus State towing cost to a shop nearby?
Take the $125 hook-up, add $7 for each mile your car rides on the flatbed, then add $4 a mile for our drive from Harrisburg Pike to campus. A shop close to downtown keeps the loaded miles low. Weekend and late-night surcharges apply when they apply, and Ohio sales tax goes on top. Call with the shop's address and the dispatcher gives you the total before you agree to anything.
My class ends late and my car won't start. Will anyone answer?
Yes. Someone picks up the dispatch line at every hour, holidays and semester breaks included. Explain what the car is doing: clicking, no lights at all, cranking but not catching. That helps us decide between a jump and a tow. If the call comes in after 10 PM, an after-hours charge of $150 applies, and you'll hear that number as part of the quote rather than on the receipt.
Can you help at the Columbus State Delaware campus too?
Yes. We cover Delaware County as well as Franklin. The en-route charge is higher because the drive from our southwest Columbus yard is longer, so the dispatcher will figure that into your quote. Everything else, the roadside flat rate and the towing rates, is the same as downtown. Give us the lot and the nearest road when you call.
Do I need a roadside membership to use you?
No. You pay per call. There's no sign-up, no yearly fee and no card to carry. If you already have roadside coverage through your insurance or a club and they're quoting a long wait, you can still call us directly and pay our posted rate. Some students then submit the receipt to their insurer for reimbursement, which is between you and the insurer.
Can you put on my spare in a campus lot?
Yes, if the spare is inflated and the wheel lock key, if your car has one, is in the car. A tire change is the $75 roadside flat rate plus mileage. The driver tightens the lug nuts properly and puts the flat in the trunk. If the spare is flat too, or you don't have one, a tow to a tire shop is the fallback, and we can quote that on the same call.
I locked my keys in my car outside class. How do you open it?
With the tools made for it: an air wedge to open a small gap at the door's top corner and a long-reach tool to work the lock or handle from inside. No slim jims through the window channel, no broken glass. It's a flat $75 roadside call plus the drive to you. Bring a photo ID; the driver checks it against the registration, which can come out of the glovebox once the door is open.
Can someone else call for me if my phone is locked in the car?
Yes. A classmate, a parent or a coworker can call (614) 633-8163 with the car's location and your description. The driver will still check your ID against the registration before opening or towing anything, so make sure you're with the car when the truck arrives, or tell the dispatcher how to reach you if you've had to step away.
Will you come if my car dies on the interstate near campus?
Yes. Highway pickups add $75 to the normal rate because the work is done next to fast traffic. If you can coast to the shoulder or off an exit, do it. Then stay inside with your seatbelt on unless you're in danger. If the car is sitting in traffic rather than on the shoulder, 911 comes first, and you should tell both of us which way you were driving.
Waiting on the shoulder?
A dispatcher answers day and night and prices your Columbus State Community College call before a truck moves.
Auto Lyft USA is not affiliated with, endorsed by or contracted to Columbus State Community College.
Where the trucks start
Every truck sent to Columbus State Community College rolls out of our yard on Harrisburg Pike (US-62) on Columbus's southwest side. Dispatch runs 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