Stadiums, arenas & big events
Nationwide Arena Towing When the Car Won't Leave the Garage
Hockey nights and arena concerts end with thousands of cars spiraling out of downtown garages at once. If yours is the one that won't start, we can help.
- Open 24/7, 365 days
- Flatbed-only fleet
- Price quoted before dispatch
- Licensed & insured
Nationwide Arena has been home ice for the Columbus Blue Jackets since it opened in 2000, and between the NHL season and a steady run of concerts it fills up on a lot of nights. Most of the people who drive in park in structured garages and lots scattered through the Arena District and the blocks toward High Street. That shapes nearly every Nationwide Arena towing call we take, because a car that dies on level four of a garage is a very different job from one that dies at a curb.
Our trucks are light-duty flatbeds based on Harrisburg Pike, southwest of downtown, so getting to the arena is not a long haul. The harder part is the last few hundred feet: tight ramps, low ceilings, pay gates and one-way streets that funnel event traffic toward I-670 and SR-315 after the horn sounds.
The good news is that the typical arena problem does not require pulling a car out of a garage at all. A jump, an unlock or a spare tire gets most people moving. When a tow truly is needed, our dispatcher will ask the questions that matter before a truck heads your way, so the driver arrives with a plan instead of discovering that the deck will not fit under the first beam.
Garages and flatbeds
A flatbed carrier is tall, and its deck has to tilt and slide back to load a car. Plenty of downtown garages were built for passenger cars only, with entrance bars and ceiling beams that a carrier cannot clear. We do not guess at clearances, and we will not force a truck into a structure that was not built for it.
Instead, the driver works with what the garage allows. Many cars can be jumped or unlocked right in the space. A car with a flat can often get a spare and roll down the ramp on its own. If it truly cannot move under its own power, the driver will talk with you, and with garage staff where they are present, about the safest way to get it to a loading spot. Our parking garage towing page covers this in more detail.
Telling us where you are downtown
Downtown garages often have similar names, and the same garage can have entrances on two different streets. Give us the garage or lot name exactly as it is printed on your ticket or parking app, the street you drove in from, and the level and row number if one is painted on the pillar. A photo of the nearest sign sent by text is even better.
If you parked at a meter or on a surface lot, the cross streets are enough. Let us know which way the car is facing on a one-way street, since that decides which side the truck approaches from.
Prices for an arena call
Everything comes from the same public rate sheet we use anywhere in central Ohio. Expect $75 for a jump, lockout or tire change. A tow starts with a $125 hook-up and adds $7 per mile once your car is on the deck. Both include $4 for each mile our truck travels from the yard. Saturday and Sunday games pick up the $50 weekend charge, and anything after ten at night falls into the overnight bracket.
Low sports cars or vehicles with long overhangs sometimes need extra care to load. Tell us the make and model so the dispatcher can send the right gear, such as ramps for low-profile towing.
Nationwide Arena: what drivers ask
Do you handle Nationwide Arena towing on Blue Jackets game nights?
Yes. Game nights are some of our busier evenings downtown, mostly for dead batteries and keys locked in cars. Dispatch is open all night, so whether the problem shows up before the puck drops or after the third period, call (614) 633-8163. The dispatcher will ask for the garage or lot name and give you a live arrival estimate and price.
Can your flatbed fit inside the garage where I parked?
It depends on that structure's clearance, which varies from garage to garage. If a carrier cannot enter, the driver can usually still help inside using portable jump packs, lockout tools and a jack. For a car that cannot be driven at all, we will work out a safe way to get it to a spot where loading is possible. Tell us the garage and level first.
My car won't start and the garage is closing. What happens?
Let the garage attendant or posted contact know the car is disabled, and call us right away. Many garages will allow a disabled vehicle to stay until it can be moved, but rules differ, so ask. If you cannot stay, we can arrange to come back for the car once you have keys and access sorted, or meet a friend or family member there for you.
Do I need to pay for parking before you can tow the car out?
Usually the car has to clear the pay gate like any other vehicle, so keep your ticket or parking app confirmation handy. If the gate requires the car to be driven up to a machine and it cannot be driven, garage staff may need to open it. We cannot cover your parking fee, but the driver will help you sort out the exit with the attendant.
What if I parked on the street and got a flat near the arena?
Ease the car toward the curb if it is safe, flip on the four-way flashers, and wait on the sidewalk side, away from passing cars. Call us with the cross streets. If you have a usable spare, the driver mounts it and you drive off. If the spare is flat or missing, or a wheel lock key is lost, the flatbed carries it to a tire dealer or to your house.
Can you tow an electric car from an Arena District garage?
Yes, we carry EVs on our flatbeds, which is the method most EV makers recommend. Our EV rate card applies: $150 to hook up, $7.50 per loaded mile and $2.50 a mile en-route. The garage clearance question still matters, and many EVs are heavy, so the dispatcher will ask the make and model before sending a truck.
Is downtown traffic after a hockey game going to slow you down?
It can. Garages and streets around the arena empty in a rush right after the final horn, and inbound trucks move against that flow. We will not make up an arrival time. The dispatcher will tell you what the driver is actually seeing on the road and update you if it changes.
Can you take my car back to the suburbs after a breakdown downtown?
Yes. We regularly tow cars from downtown to homes and shops in Westerville, Gahanna, Grandview Heights and beyond. The cost depends on the loaded miles, so give the dispatcher the full destination address and you will hear the total price, including any late-night or weekend fee, before the truck leaves the yard.
Need a truck?
Round-the-clock dispatch to Nationwide Arena from Harrisburg Pike, with the cost confirmed up front.
Services here
Auto Lyft USA is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nationwide Arena, the Columbus Blue Jackets or the arena's owners and operators.
Where the trucks start
All four carriers that work Nationwide Arena start and finish the day on Harrisburg Pike (US-62) on Columbus's southwest side. Call 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