- I-376Parkway West
- I-376Parkway East
- I-279Parkway North
- PA 51Saw Mill Run
Roadside Assistance in Pittsburgh, PA
One number for flat tires, dead batteries, empty tanks and tows across the city's bridges, tunnels and hills.
Call (412) 789-1262Where did the car stop?
Pick the spot. You get what to do there and what to say when you call.
- Hazards on, seat belt on, and stay in the car unless you see smoke or fire.
- A car stopped in a tunnel lane is a 911 call first. Tunnel crews watch the tubes on camera and can close a lane.
- Do not walk the roadway. The numbered doors along the wall are cross passages to the other tube, for leaving on foot only if you must.
"I'm stopped in the Fort Pitt Tunnel, outbound, in the right lane."
Call (412) 789-1262- Coast off the bridge deck if the car still rolls. Most spans have little or no shoulder.
- If you are stuck on the deck in a travel lane, call 911 before anything else.
- Hazards on. Raise the hood only if you are safely out of traffic.
"I'm on the Liberty Bridge, heading into Downtown, hazards on."
Call (412) 789-1262- Pull as far right as the shoulder allows and turn the wheels away from traffic.
- Hazards on plus a triangle or flare behind the car if you carry one. Two of those markers bring Pennsylvania's Move Over law into play.
- Stay inside with your belt on. Parkway traffic moves fast and close.
"I'm on the Parkway East shoulder, outbound, just past the Edgewood exit."
Call (412) 789-1262- Set the parking brake hard and turn the front wheels into the curb.
- On ice, do not try to drive back up. Wait off the travel lane.
- Tell the operator the grade and which way the car faces. It changes what truck comes.
"I'm on a steep street in Beechview, facing downhill, wheels to the curb."
Call (412) 789-1262- You are in the safest spot there is. Lock the car if you step away.
- Find the level and the row number if it's a garage. Clearance matters for the truck.
- Have your keys, or say plainly that they are locked inside.
"I'm in a Downtown garage, level three, row C, and the battery is dead."
Call (412) 789-1262Five calls, one number
parkway tunnels carry the city under its hills: Fort Pitt, Squirrel Hill and Liberty.
What does roadside assistance in Pittsburgh cover?
Roadside assistance covers the problems that stop a car where it stands: a flat tire, a dead battery, an empty tank, keys locked inside or a car stuck off the pavement. When the car cannot be fixed where it sits, the call becomes a tow to a shop or home.
Most calls on this line are one of five jobs. A flat tire gets changed to the spare or plugged where that is safe. A dead battery gets a jump start or a new battery fitted in place. An empty tank gets enough fuel delivered to reach a station. A lockout or a car slid off a wet shoulder is handled as emergency roadside assistance. Anything else gets a tow.
Tell the operator what happened in plain words. The job decides the truck, so a clear first sentence saves everyone a second trip.
Who answers the roadside assistance line?
Calls to this number are routed to an independent roadside service provider working in and around Pittsburgh. The person who answers asks where you are and what happened, then quotes the job on the phone before anyone drives out.
Nothing is booked until you agree to the quote. If the job needs a tow instead of a roadside fix, you hear that on the first call, not after the truck shows up.
If anyone is hurt or the car is stopped in a travel lane, call 911 first. Then call this line for the car.
How a call goes
Say where
The road, the direction, the last exit or cross street.
Say what happened
Flat, won't start, out of gas, locked out or stuck.
Hear the price, then decide
The job is quoted on the phone. Nothing is booked until you agree.
Pittsburgh breakdown notes
Stopped in a tunnel
Hazards on, belt on, call 911. Seven cross passages in Fort Pitt, eight in Squirrel Hill, eleven in Liberty.
Stopped on a bridge
Coast off the deck if you can. Most spans have little or no shoulder.
The first hard freeze
Cold slows a battery just when a cold engine needs more. Weak in October means dead in January.
Empty in the tunnel crawl
Rush-hour backups at the tunnels burn fuel faster than the gauge suggests. Fill up before the tunnel.
Low garage, tall truck
Downtown and Oakland garages are often too low for a tow truck. Give the level and the clearance.
Questions drivers ask
The short answers. Each service page has the long ones.
Can I get roadside help at night or on a weekend?
Call the number at any hour and say where you are. Roadside calls come in around the clock in a city this size, and the operator will tell you plainly whether a truck can come now or when the first one opens up.
Do I need a membership to call?
No. There is nothing to join and no card to show. You call, hear the price for the job, and decide. Drivers with a club plan or an insurance roadside benefit can still use their plan; this line is for anyone who wants help without one.
What should I say when I call?
Start with where you are, then what happened. Name the road and direction, the last exit or cross street, and any landmark like a tunnel portal or bridge. Then the problem: flat, won't start, out of gas, locked out, or stuck.
Can you change a tire on the parkway?
On a wide shoulder, often yes. On a narrow one, or on the traffic side of the car, the operator may move the car before changing anything. Tunnels and bridge decks are 911 first. Then the car is towed clear.
Is this a towing company?
This line connects drivers with roadside help. When a car cannot be fixed where it stands, the provider can tow it to a shop, a dealer or home. Ask for the tow price and the drop-off address on the first call.
Which areas does the line cover?
The city and the Allegheny County towns around it: Downtown, the North Side, the South Side and South Hills, Oakland and the East End, plus Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, Monroeville, Penn Hills, Robinson and Wilkinsburg. The service-areas page has a map for each.
Stuck right now?
Someone hurt, or a car in a travel lane? Call 911 first.