Sonoma’s Bonneau pivots away from towing

The name Bonneau has been synonymous with towing in Sonoma Valley for almost 50 years. But the locally renowned towing business has hooked up its last Dodge Nitro.

Whether residents were cursing the tow truck that had removed their car from an illegal parking space, or thanking the driver effusively for coming to the rescue when faced with a dead battery, towing = Bonneau.

Dan Bambury, now 68, started Bonneau's Towing in 1970 at the age of 19 while also running Bonneau's gas station in Schellville at Arnold Drive and Bonneau Road, just north of Cornerstone. His grandfather, August Bonneau, opened the general store there in 1922, a year later he added fuel. In 2000, after being awarded the Sonoma Valley AAA contract, Bambury created Bonneau's Towing and Mechanical, with long time lead mechanic Dave Hulbert as partner. They grew the business to seven drivers and seven trucks at its height, also providing towing for eight to 10 other auto clubs, including Allstate, Geico, National and others.

But Bambury says he is more-than ready to get out of the towing game. Preparing for retirement, he and Hulbert have decided that, due to increased insurance costs and the challenge of finding tow drivers, to give notice to AAA, CHP and Sonoma County Sheriff that all of their commercial towing operations would cease Thursday, Oct. 31, ending a nearly 50 year run.

'The financial return is just not there,' said Chris Bambury, Dan's son, who also works for the company. 'It was both a financial and a liability decision.' He also noted that it has been increasingly difficult to get enough staff to operate the business.

AAA Road Service's local towing services will now come from companies outside the Valley, according to AAA spokeperson Sergio Avila.

'A&C Towing and Transportation [Blackpoint, near Novato] and Yarborough Brothers Towing [Santa Rosa] will handle calls from our valued members in the Sonoma area,' he said.

Hulbert speculated that service calls (jumps, gas, tire, lock outs) will be provided by Yarborough and towing by A&C, with both using trucks assigned to roam the area.

The two other licensed tow companies in the Valley: Norrboms on West Napa Street and Tri-County Towing on Napa Road, are not contracted with AAA.

Reached by phone on Thursday, Dan Hayes, owner of Tri-County Towing had heard the news about Bonneau exiting the towing business and, in particularly, choosing to end its contract with AAA.

'There is just no money in towing contracts now,' he said.

On Jan. 1, 2020, Bonneau's Towing and Mechanical will become Bonneau's Auto Care. Hulbert will continue to oversee the auto mechanics. Chris Bambury will lead the crew of 33 employees at the three retail Bonneau locations, including the two 76 gas stations and the deli, all operating under parent company Bambury, Inc.

Dan Bambury told the Index-Tribune that growing the company's deli business will be a priority.

'We brought in consultants to have us improve our product offerings and improve efficiency,' he said about the Four Corners location. He also noted that Bonneau is about to break ground on a 5,000-square-foot combined food service, convenience store and drive-through coffee booth at its location on Grove and Arnold.

'We've been working with the county for a long time on this and are finally getting ready to raze and rebuild [on the same footprint],' he said.

When reached by phone on Thursday, the company's final day of towing, he sounded ebullient to be closing the chapter on towing.

'Dave and I are 61 and 68 respectively,' he said. 'We're looking to scale back and we just don't need the hassle and frustration of that part of our business anymore.'

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.