Iran's private ambulance services chief, Mojtaba Lohrasbi, told Isna news agency that reports about "such a phenomenon" were correct, but that the situation was "not as grave as some say".
The capital's prosecutor-general has ordered that regulations governing the usage of ambulances be enforced, but Dr Lohrasbi said the police were "so busy" they had been unable to help.
He also noted that "riding ambulances for sidestepping traffic jams in Tehran is not limited to" celebrities and tutors, without providing any further details.
Iranian social media users criticised the trend, but some asked people not to vent their frustration by stopping genuine ambulances from doing their work.
Private tutors, who are highly paid to prepare students for the annual competitive tests or the national university entrance examinations, have been singled out in recent days as the primary users of private ambulances to commute between their classes in different locations in Tehran. The fare paid by these tutors for private ambulances is quite meager compared with high fees they charge families of students..