Don't drink and drive home, call a tow truck

Tow trucker driver Wayne Paterson offers drivers a ride as well. Photo / Jason Dorday

Never mind hailing a taxi. Forget about dialling a driver. Some inebriated motorists have found it's cheaper to call a tow truck to take them and their car home from a big night out.

Wayne Paterson of Pakuranga Auto Transport said he recently picked up a car from a wedding in Parnell and took it to Howick because the driver had had too much to drink.

"It was cheaper for him than calling a dial-a-driver," Paterson said.

"He also didn't trust anyone else to drive his car.

"He carried on drinking at the wedding; we took the car to the yard and stored it overnight. He picked it up the next day."

The service cost the Howick man $70.

Paterson said the company charged from $60, depending on the distance travelled, and was fully insured.

Drivers could also catch a ride in the tow truck.

"As long as nobody throws up we don't mind," he said.

Mark Adams, an Otahuhu mechanic, had his 1969 Plymouth Road Runner towed home from a wedding because it was cheaper than dial-a-driver.

"It was my nephew's wedding and my car had been used in the wedding party," he said.

"I rang up the tow truck company to tow my car home so I could have a few drinks and get a lift home with my family.

"I also didn't have to take the risk of anyone else driving my car.

"It was cheaper than getting a cab or dial-a-driver - it cost me $60, plus GST. It costs me $80 to get a cab home from town. It's ridiculous how much taxis charge. If people are to stop drinking and driving cabs must lower their prices."

Russell Baldwin, of North Harbour Towing, said he regularly towed people's cars after they had had too much to drink.

"We all do it. It's interesting. I'm quite often told we are cheaper than a taxi or dial-a-driver," he said.

"People don't want to get a taxi because they have to leave their cars overnight and they don't want the risk of someone else driving their car either," he said.

Auckland Dial A Driver NZ dispatcher Jon Paul acknowledged it was often cheaper to get a tow truck.

He estimated the trip from Parnell to Howick would have cost about $80 with Dial A Driver.

"It would be cheaper to get a tow truck," he said.

"But I think we are a bit more prestigious than a tow truck.

"You get driven home in the comfort of your own car."

The company's overheads were higher than a towing because they needed two drivers and an extra car to provide the service, he explained.