A taxi driver helps a customer using a wheelchair board a van. PBOT ensures access to accessible vehicles by providing an incentive to offset the cost to transportation providers, and monitoring ride times to ensure access to rides. Photo by PBOT.
10,000 wheelchair accessible rides a year
12,000 driver background checks a year
1,769 calls for service in a coordinated municipal towing system across Multnomah County
(Feb. 2, 2026) Every day, employees of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) protect consumers and public safety with smart rules and standards for a variety of transportation services including, private for-hire permitting, towing regulations, municipal and private property impound tows, and on-demand rides for people with disabilities.
In many cases, these standards give Portlanders a level of protection beyond what state law or other cities in Oregon provide. Many of them are similar to standards other cities across the nation have adopted.
When Portland Police, PBOT Parking Enforcement, or other authorized agencies makes a request to have a vehicle towed from the public right of way the rates are regulated, and the information on how to retrieve your vehicle is accessible, thanks to our towing contract. If a restaurant, apartment building or other private parking lot owner makes a request to tow a vehicle, they must have clear signage and cannot engage in predatory practices, thanks to our administrative rules and city code chapter for Private Property Impound Towing.
When you hail a ride from a taxi, Uber or Lyft, you can rest assured that the driver and their vehicle meet minimum safety standards and your fare cannot be hiked in a snowstorm or other emergency, thanks to City Code for Private For-Hire Transportation. Thanks to our fee schedule approved by City Council, a ride fee of $2.11 provides funding for wheelchair accessible vehicles — and starting last year — collects funds for road maintenance citywide.
Though Portland has regulated for-hire transportation for more than a century, and set rules for towing companies for many decades, the industries continue to evolve and our staff in PBOT’s Parking Operations and Regulatory Division continue the daily work of providing these basic safety net services for the public.
A towing company removes of a vehicle from a NW Portland street to make way for Leaf Day street sweeping. When parking enforcement requests such tows, PBOT’s towing contract limits the charge for towing and requires notification to the city’s dispatch system, so the owner can recover their vehicle. Photo by PBOT.
Towing program works to protect consumers
In 2025, the bureau’s routine consumer protection and safety standards resulted in:
- 1,769 calls from public agencies to tow vehicles that were blocking traffic or causing other public safety issues in all of Multnomah County, including Portland. PBOT’s rules mean car owners are charged no more than a set rate — $277 for a typical sedan — when their vehicle is towed by Portland Police or PBOT parking enforcement. The city contracts with nine companies listed on the PBOT website. Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and Port of Portland use PBOT’s contract and dispatch system, so the city’s prices and policies apply, though they have separate processes for investigating complaints. When vehicles are towed elsewhere in Oregon, outside of Portland, the rates are set by that jurisdiction.
- Nine companies were permitted to provide towing services to private parking facilities at the request of the property owner or manager. When towed, the vehicle owner may file a complaint with PBOT if the tow was not compliant with the city’s Private Property Impound code. Towing companies are required to inform vehicle owners and Portland Police whenever a vehicle is towed. They are required to have a 24-hour dispatch call center to be able to let consumers know that they have the vehicle and a process for retrieval during established business hours (additional fees may apply for after hours pick ups). The parking lot has to have adequate signage warning about towing and providing contact information. All these requirements are listed in a PBOT Administrative Rule. The rates they charge for towing and storage are also regulated per bureau’s approved Private Property Impound Rates.
- One license revocation. In 2025, PBOT revoked the private property impound permit for Retriever Towing, which had been behind on paying for permits and had been found to have 52 unpermitted tows in less than four weeks. PBOT required the company to refund consumers for all unpermitted towing charges. Even after the bureau offered payment plans, the company remained behind on paying routine service and dispatch fees.
Fees for Uber and Lyft rides, and company fees for taxi companies help pay for inspections of vehicles and background checks for drivers. They also help pay for the Safe Ride Home program, which offers free rides during holidays that are known for high rates of fatal crashes. Graphic by PBOT.
Rules for taxi, Uber and Lyft rides protect public safety
In 2025, the bureau’s routine consumer protection and safety standards resulted in:
- Nearly 400 field inspections and investigations of private for-hire companies, vehicles, and drivers were conducted by PBOT staff to help ensure public safety.
- Nearly 13,000 permit applications processed:
- Including over 40 new company applications and 160 company renewal applications
- Nearly 12,000 driver background checks, driving histories reports, and vehicle safety inspections
- All drivers and vehicles that provide Private for-Hire Transportation services on Portland streets are required to go through an annual review. This makes sure that Portland’s PFHT drivers are professional, safe, and exceptional; the vehicles that provide PFHT services are well maintained and meet high performance standards. Failure to do so will result in a fine and even revocation of the company’s permit to operate.
- Nearly 3,000 customer service calls handled by PBOT staff, supporting company owners and drivers through applying for permits, complying with city regulations, and navigating company deactivations.
- More than 10,000 trips per year are provided in a wheelchair accessible van. PBOT provides a $15 per ride subsidy to the taxi, Uber or Lyft company that provides the ride, because accessible service requires vehicles that are more expensive to operate than a standard sedan. All companies are required to provide accessible service when requested. PDX WAV is a program that creates a single point of contact for wheelchair users to call when they are looking for a ride. You can order an accessible Uber or Lyft on their app by selecting the option when requesting a ride, or call PDX WAV at 503 865-4WAV (865-4928) to be directed to a taxi company dispatcher who will help match you with a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) or call a taxi company directly.
- Over 3,050 safe rides during high-crash rate holidays. Fees for Uber and Lyft rides, and company fees for taxi companies also help pay for the Safe Ride Home Program, which helps support our Vision Zero goals by reducing impaired driving through offering discounts on Uber, Lyft and taxi rides during New Year’s Eve and other holiday times when local and national figures show a higher rate of traffic deaths. During 2025, PBOT’s Safe Ride Home program helped fund over 3,050 rides so that people could celebrate responsibly and get home safely.
For more information
PBOT Private For-Hire Transportation
If you suspect your vehicle has been towed:
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The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is the steward of the city’s transportation system and a community partner in shaping a livable city. We plan, build, manage, and maintain an effective and safe transportation system that provides access and mobility.
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