LONDON, ONT. -- A day after the light was shone on the criminal underground of Toronto’s tow truck industry, the owner of London’s largest fleet is warning of an increase in activity described as ‘chasing’ from trucks coming down Highway 401.

“I think a lot of them are being driven out, because of the competitiveness around there, and what’s going on. Some of them are choosing to come towards London,” says Michael Ross of Ross Towing.

He shared a video with CTV News of one such vehicle dangerously passing one of his drivers in a residential area on the way to an accident scene.

Ross Towing signed a contact with the London Police Service in 2015 to be the preferred towing company in London, meaning if the driver didn’t already have a tow truck lined up to move their vehicle, the job would be given to Ross.

But now they are seeing an influx of trucks from outside of town, trying to get access to those cars, even attempting to bribe the Ross drivers.

“Offers of cash, on the spot payments to my drivers on the scene, wanting to take over a tow that we’re there to tow, and essentially try to buy the tow off our guys,” he says.

The reason they are able to offer upwards of $100 to the drivers is because their rates are unregulated, and the city's bylaw enforcement chief, Orest Katolyk, says they are taking advantage of vulnerable people who don’t question the process.

“We’re concerned about that, because what they are doing, is holding the cars hostage, and charging an exorbitant fee for the tow and for the impound,” Katolyk says.

“It’s not uncommon to get a fee for holding a car for three days in and around $3,000, which is just highway robbery.”

The solution is hopefully a proposed bylaw the city is working on.

“We’re looking at a proposed bylaw that would license tow truck operators, so a tow truck operator would have to go through a police record check, they would have to be associated with a local impound yard, and the rates for the tow and for the impound would be set by the city."

That is exactly the type of bylaw Ross says is needed, "We have the right people, we have the right equipment and the right facilities.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the civic process, Katolyk hopes the bylaw can be presented later this summer.

“We’re working on a bylaw as we speak, we’re still looking at holding meetings before the community and protective services later in the summer or early in the fall to address this issue.”