Why We Created the Student Roadside Care Program (And How We Are Different From a Tow Company)

The short answer

Redneck Roadside Tech charges students $39 for one qualifying standard roadside service when the disabled vehicle is inside Cincinnati city limits during standard hours (7:00 AM - 6:59 PM). Outside city limits the price increases by $10-$20 based on the vehicle's location and travel distance, normally $49-$59 total, and you get the exact number before we dispatch. After hours, between 7:00 PM and 6:59 AM, the student price is $79 inside city limits and $89 outside. High school or college, any age, valid current student ID.

We built the program because students are the people most likely to be stranded at the worst possible time with the least amount of money in the account. And because most of the time, the car does not need a tow. It needs somebody to show up with the right tool.

Why the program exists

A student breakdown is a different kind of breakdown.

• The car is usually older, usually bought used, usually the only way to get to class and a shift.
• The failure is almost always simple: a dead battery after headlights were left on in a Clifton garage, keys locked in the car outside a Norwood apartment, a flat on the way back from the west side, or an empty tank at the end of the month.
• The budget is thin, so the decision gets delayed. That is how a 20-minute jump start becomes a night sitting in a dark lot.

We serve UC and Clifton/Corryville, Xavier and Norwood/Evanston, Mount St. Joseph and Delhi, plus high school drivers all over Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. We kept running into the same call: a student apologizing for calling, asking what the cheapest possible option is. Flat student pricing removes that conversation. You know the number before we roll.

What the $39 covers

One standard roadside service:

• Standard jump start
• Standard vehicle lockout
• Spare tire change using the vehicle's usable spare
• Emergency fuel delivery, including up to 2 gallons of fuel

No membership. No app. No annual signup. Show the technician a valid current student ID on scene.

Who qualifies

• High school students and college students both qualify.
• Age does not matter.
• You do not have to live in Cincinnati.
• Eligibility comes down to two things: a valid current student ID, and where the disabled vehicle is sitting.

That last point matters. The price follows the car, not the campus. If the car is inside Cincinnati city limits, it is $39 during the day. If it is outside, the same discounted service carries a standard $20 travel fee, so $59. For locations significantly outside our normal service area, additional long-distance travel charges may apply, and we disclose and confirm any extra charge with you before we dispatch.

How we are different from a tow company

A tow truck solves one problem: moving a vehicle that cannot be driven. That is a real service, and sometimes it is the right one. But it is the wrong first answer for most student breakdowns.

A tow moves the problem. We fix the problem. A dead battery, a lockout, a flat with a good spare and an empty tank are all repairable where the car sits. Towing a car for a dead battery means paying for the hook, paying the mileage, and then still paying somebody to deal with the battery on the other end — plus getting yourself and your stuff from wherever the car ended up.

We price the job, not the mile. Tow pricing usually stacks a hook fee on top of per-mile charges, and the total is not obvious until the truck is already there. The student rate is a flat number quoted before dispatch.

We are a tire and roadside outfit, not a dispatch middleman. A lot of roadside "providers" are call centers that farm the job out to whichever truck bids lowest. You get a stranger, an unknown ETA and a price nobody at the call center controls. You call us, you get us.

We tell you when we are not the right call. We do not tow and we do not winch. If your car genuinely needs to be moved — a wreck, a car off the shoulder, a mechanical failure that will not roll — we say so and point you to a tow, instead of showing up, poking at it and charging you anyway. Same with tire limits: we work 15 to 20 inch wheels, no run-flats, and after 7:00 PM nothing below 45-series. If you are outside that, we tell you on the phone.

What is not included

The student rate covers one standard roadside service. Extra work can cost more: damaged or swollen lug nuts, wheel-lock removal, a missing or unusable spare, complicated lockouts, fuel beyond the included 2 gallons, tire replacement, or mechanical repairs. We explain any additional charge before doing the extra paid work whenever possible.

Mechanical repair work is handled by our separate mobile mechanic division at redneck-mobile.com. This side of the business is tire and roadside only.

What to do right now, before you need it

• Put 513-879-1905 in your phone and label it so you find it at 2:00 AM.
• Keep your student ID in your wallet, not in a desk drawer at home.
• Check your spare once this semester. A flat with no usable spare turns a simple call into a tire purchase.
• Know your parking situation. Garage level and space number gets us to you faster than a campus name.

The point of it

We would rather show up for a student at a flat rate they can actually cover than watch somebody sleep in a parking lot because a tow quote scared them off. Call, hear the number, then decide.

Redneck Roadside Tech — Tire & Roadside Assistance. Call 513-879-1905, 24/7. Details on the [Student Roadside Care Program](/student-roadside-care).