Towing fees in San Francisco are some of the most wildly expensive in the nation, standing at two to three times what you might pay in any other major US city. If one of the 163 cars towed around town every day happens to be yours, well, retrieve it for under $600 and count yourself lucky.

However, in reevaluating the MTA's proposed contract extension with city tow company AutoReturn — a company with which those who have been towed will be all too familiar — the Board of Supervisors are pushing back on that cost according to the Chronicle.

The overall towing fee in San Francisco has tripled in the past five years, the Chronicle found recently, reaching $491.25 without a ticket and assuming you can retrieve your vehicle quickly so as to not incur further fees.

The driving factor behind the increase: MTA administrative fees that have risen from $50 to $266 over the last decade to ensure full "cost recovery" for the tow program. That means paying for every cost associated with the program, from red paint for tow zone lines to a portion of MTA Director Ed Reiskin's salary, with towing fees themselves.

In reviewing the AutoReturn contract, Supervisors signaled they would hold off on renewing it until the MTA brought down the overall cost of towing. “When you add the total cost including the ticket, the tow fee, the administrative fee, storage fees, etc., it’s robbery,” Board president London Breed said. “We can do better.”

So far it looks as if the Supervisors will be successful in lowering the fees by $75 at least, while that will still leave them high above those of other municipalities. An MTA spokesperson said the agency could reduce administrative fees from $266 to $191, which would be on top of an overall tow fee reduction of $17.25. That might bring the cost of a tow to $399 — not including the ticket.

Related: Ask A San Francisco Native: Is Saving Parking Spaces By Standing In Them Kosher In The 415?