A Longtime Las Vegas Tow Company Lost Its Metro Contract, and Response Times Are Changing

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If your car is towed after a crash in Las Vegas, the tow truck now has up to 30 minutes to get to you instead of 20. That change is part of a new Metro towing contract that hands the management of police tows to a software company called Autura, KTNV Channel 13 reported on Oct. 29.

The switch also pushed out Snap Towing, a Henderson-based company that had been on Metro's tow list since 2016. Snap says Metro work was more than half its business. KTNV's 13 Investigates team is asking how the deal was made, and the company says a lawsuit is possible. For everyday drivers, though, the biggest change is simpler: a longer allowed wait on the side of the road.

Here is how police tows work, what the new contract changes, what Metro says about it, and what you can do if you ever need a tow after a crash.

What Happened

Metro's Fiscal Affairs Committee voted unanimously to award its towing management contract to Autura. KTNV described Autura as a software company that acts as the middleman between Metro and tow operators. Instead of officers working directly with a set list of tow companies, Autura's system handles the dispatch. Metro's chief financial officer, Damon Harris, compared the setup to a rideshare app, according to KTNV. He said at least three qualified tow companies will get work under neutral dispatch rules.

The new contract also changes the clock. Under the old contract, tow companies had 20 minutes to respond to a Metro call. Under the new one, they have 30 minutes, KTNV reported. That is the part most likely to touch regular drivers, because it sets the allowed wait after a crash or a police-ordered tow.

Snap Towing was removed from Metro's tow work in September. The company told KTNV that Metro work made up more than half its business, worth about $1 million a month, and supported nearly 100 employees. Snap says it was given no explanation and had no contract violations. A company representative told KTNV that about 98 employees could lose their jobs if Snap cannot replace the Metro business, and that the company plans to pursue all of its options, including a possible lawsuit against the department.

Metro tells a different story. According to KTNV, Metro says it rewrote its request for proposals this spring to address conflict-of-interest concerns, and that Snap did not submit a proposal to be part of Autura's new contract. Snap says it reached out to Metro for more than a year, sent certified letters and never heard back. At the committee meeting, community members asked that the contract be pulled from the consent agenda and discussed in public before the vote. The committee did not do that, and voted to approve it.

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

Most people never think about tow contracts until they are standing next to a crunched bumper on Tropicana or the 215. In that moment, the details matter. When Metro officers need a car moved after a crash, a breakdown in a dangerous spot or an arrest, they call for a tow through the department's system. The driver usually does not pick the company. That is why the rules in Metro's contract are, in a real way, the rules for you.

The jump from 20 to 30 minutes is the clearest change. Thirty minutes is the allowed window, not a promise that every tow will take that long. Many tows may still arrive faster. But on a hot afternoon, at night, or on a busy freeway shoulder, an extra 10 minutes of allowed wait is something drivers will notice. It can also mean a lane stays blocked longer while officers wait for the truck, which affects everyone stuck in the backup behind a crash.

The new setup could also change who shows up. Under neutral dispatch, the system sends work to a pool of qualified companies instead of a fixed rotation. Metro says that spreads the work fairly and removes some of the conflict-of-interest risks it worried about. Critics say the process was rushed and not discussed in public. Both points can matter to drivers. Fair, clear rules help keep prices and service in check. A process that feels closed can make people wonder whether the public got the best deal.

There is a jobs angle too. Snap says nearly 100 workers depended on its Metro business. Towing is a local industry with drivers, dispatchers, yard workers and mechanics, many of whom live in Henderson and around the valley. When a big contract moves, those jobs can move or disappear. That is a cost that does not show up in a committee vote but does show up in household budgets around town.

How a Police Tow Works Now, Step by Step

Based on how Metro and KTNV described the new system, here is the basic flow when an officer needs a car moved:

1. An officer at the scene decides a vehicle has to be towed, often after a crash, a breakdown in a dangerous spot or an arrest.
2. The request goes into the tow management system that Autura now runs for Metro.
3. The system assigns the call to one of the qualified tow companies in the pool under neutral dispatch rules. Metro says at least three companies will share the work.
4. The assigned company has up to 30 minutes to arrive, up from the old 20-minute window.
5. The car is towed to the company's yard, where the owner can pick it up and pay the approved charges.

The main differences from before are who runs the dispatch, how calls get handed out and how long the tow company has to get there. The officer's role, and the driver's role, look about the same.

Safety is the reason the clock matters at all. A car stuck in a travel lane, or sitting on a narrow freeway shoulder, is a hazard for the driver, for the officers at the scene and for everyone passing by. In Las Vegas, the weather adds to it. Waiting on a hot shoulder in July or on a dark road in December is not the same as waiting in a parking lot. Ten more allowed minutes may sound small on paper. On the side of the road, with traffic flying past, it can feel long.

That is also why the details of the new system deserve attention after the vote. If neutral dispatch sends the nearest available truck, response times could hold steady or even improve on many calls. If the pool of trucks is thin at busy hours, the 30-minute window could get used more often. The contract sets the rule. How it works on real roads will show up over the next several months.

Background and History

Police tows are different from the tow you call yourself. If your car breaks down and you call your roadside service, you choose the company and agree to the price. When police order a tow, it is often called a non-consensual tow, because the owner did not pick the company. In Nevada, the state's Nevada Transportation Authority oversees tow car operators and the rates they can charge for non-consensual tows. Operators file approved rate sheets, called tariffs, and state rules say they can only bill for charges on those approved sheets.

Big police departments handle these tows in a few different ways. Some keep a rotation list of approved companies and call them in turn. Some divide the city into zones. Others, like Metro now, use a management company that runs dispatch through software. The idea is that a central system can track response times, assign calls to the closest available truck and keep records in one place.

Metro's Fiscal Affairs Committee is the body that approves the department's big spending decisions and contracts. Its votes are made in public meetings, and many routine items are grouped together on a consent agenda that passes in a single vote. Members of the public can ask for an item to be pulled for separate discussion, but the committee decides whether to do it. In this case, KTNV reported that community members made that request and the committee kept the item on consent.

Metro says the new request for proposals was written this spring partly to deal with conflict-of-interest concerns. Snap says it was shut out. Some of those questions came up during public comment, and KTNV's reporting lays out both sides. For drivers, the outcome is the same either way: the new contract is approved, Autura runs dispatch, and the response window is now 30 minutes.

What Happens Next

The new contract is in place, so drivers in Metro's service area are already under the new rules. The open questions are about what comes after. Snap Towing says the matter is not over and that it may sue the department. If it does, a court could look at how the contract was awarded. No lawsuit had been reported as filed when KTNV published its story.

It will also be worth watching how the new system performs. Metro says neutral dispatch will be fair and that several qualified companies will share the work. Over the next few months, the real test is whether tows arrive quickly, whether crash scenes clear on time, and whether drivers see any change in their bills. The Fiscal Affairs Committee meets in public, so future contract updates or complaints could show up on its agendas.

Here is what to keep an eye on:

• Whether Snap Towing files a lawsuit, and what it asks a court to do.
• Any public data from Metro on average tow response times under the new contract.
• Whether more tow companies join the pool Autura dispatches to.
• Any future Fiscal Affairs Committee agenda items about the towing contract.

Ryan's Take

This one is not a housing story on the surface, but it is a quality-of-life story, and that is part of why people choose where they live. Anyone who commutes on I-15, the 215 or the 95 has sat in a crash backup and wondered how long it would take to clear. A longer allowed tow window can mean longer blocked lanes, and that adds up for commuters in fast-growing areas like the southwest valley and Skye Canyon, where most people drive everywhere.

I also think about the local business side. A Henderson company with almost 100 workers says it could lose more than half its income because of one contract. Whatever you think of the process, that is a lot of local paychecks. My advice to drivers is simple: know what to do after a crash before it happens, keep your own roadside coverage handy, and keep an eye on how this new system works. If response times slip, the public meetings are the place to say so.

What You Can Do

Have a plan before you need it. Save your insurance company's claims number and your roadside assistance number in your phone. Many auto policies and some credit cards include roadside help. If your car breaks down and police are not involved, you can usually call your own tow company and pick where your car goes. In a crash, if no one is hurt and it is safe, move out of travel lanes and turn on your hazard lights. If anyone is hurt, or the cars cannot move, call 911.

If Metro orders a tow, ask questions. Ask the officer which company is coming and where your car will be taken. Take photos of your car before it is hooked up. When you pick it up, ask for an itemized bill. Storage fees can add up every day, so get your car out as soon as you can. If you think a charge is wrong, you can file a complaint with the Nevada Transportation Authority, which oversees tow operators and their approved rates.

Common Questions About Police Tows

Can I pick my own tow company after a crash? If police are not ordering the tow, you can usually call your own roadside service. When an officer orders the tow, the department's system picks the company.

Does 30 minutes mean I will always wait that long? No. Thirty minutes is the most the contract allows, according to KTNV. Many tows may arrive sooner, depending on traffic, time of day and how close the assigned truck is.

Who sets the price of a police-ordered tow? In Nevada, the Nevada Transportation Authority oversees tow operators and approves the rates they can charge for non-consensual tows. Ask for an itemized bill, and compare it to the operator's approved rates if something looks off.

Does this change apply in Henderson or North Las Vegas? This contract is for Metro, which covers the City of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County. Henderson and North Las Vegas have their own police departments, and KTNV's report did not cover their tow arrangements.

Speak up if you have a concern. Metro's Fiscal Affairs Committee meets in public and posts its agendas ahead of time. If you have had a bad experience with a police-ordered tow, or you want more public discussion of contracts like this one, public comment is open to residents. You can also reach out to your Clark County commissioner or city council member.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime. Ryan Rose | Real Broker, LLC | 702-747-5921 | ryan@rosehomeslv.com | rosehomeslv.com

Sources

KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas: "Longtime Las Vegas tow company loses lucrative Metro contract, raising questions about how deal was made" (Darcy Spears, Oct. 29, 2026)

Nevada Revised Statutes 706.286: Complaint against fully regulated carrier or operator of tow car, investigation by the Nevada Transportation Authority