# Is Rideshare Insurance Available in New Jersey??



## eaglesfansurfin88 (Mar 19, 2015)

As far as I can tell the answer is no... can anyone tell me if a company offers rideshare insurance in NJ?


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## mazen (Apr 12, 2015)

I called Geico today, they said no, because it's big liability


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## robertc21 (Jun 18, 2015)

That is a great question. I would like to know as well.I have been thinking about how mush ----- I'm in if i get into an accident. I know uber fake insurance won't help us.


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## eaglesfansurfin88 (Mar 19, 2015)

It appears the answer is no as of July 2015


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## Huberis (Mar 15, 2015)

robertc21 said:


> That is a great question. I would like to know as well.I have been thinking about how mush ----- I'm in if i get into an accident. I know uber fake insurance won't help us.


Is your car paid for at least?


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## mazen (Apr 12, 2015)

*Christopher* (Uber)

Jul 9, 2015

Thanks for writing in. Below, you can find an overview of how insurance works for rideshare drivers with Uber. You can always read a more detailed overviewhere.

From the time you log into the Uber partner app until you accept a trip in New Jersey we maintain a policy that provides 3rd party liability coverage in the amounts of $50k/$100k/$25k. This policy is contingent to your personal policy, meaning it will apply only if your personal auto insurance does not apply In the state of New Jersey, we also maintain Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage in amounts of $15k/$30k/$5k and Personal Injury Protection coverage in
accordance with N.J. Stat. §39:6-4 et. Seq.

From the time you accept a trip until its completion and the rider(s) exits the vehicle, in New Jersey we maintain the following coverage:

• $1.5M of 3rd party liability;
• $1.5M of uninsured/underinsured motorist injury; and
• contingent comprehensive and collision insurance - so, if you maintain comprehensive and collision insurance on your own personal policy, our policy will cover physical damage to that vehicle up to the actual cash value of the vehicle, for any reason, with a $1,000 deductible

In the state of New Jersey, we also maintain Personal Injury Protection coverage in
accordance with N.J. Stat. §17:28-1.3

Note, you are not required to purchase rideshare insurance as we will maintain coverage on your behalf that will comply with all state and local laws.

Please note that you can find the certificate of insurance we maintain here and you can also find this in the app through the Waybill:









We hope for you to have a clean and safe drive in every trips you have but if something happen, just email us immediately for us to assist you properly.

If there's anything else I can help, just let me know.

Best,

*Christopher*
help.uber.com


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## eaglesfansurfin88 (Mar 19, 2015)

But the point is that this insurance does not have collision coverage during Period 1 of driving... that is the period where the app is on, looking for paxs, no paxs in the car... your personal insurance will not cover you as well... You are still F'ed if this happens...


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## mazen (Apr 12, 2015)

eaglesfansurfin88 said:


> But the point is that this insurance does not have collision coverage during Period 1 of driving... that is the period where the app is on, looking for paxs, no paxs in the car... your personal insurance will not cover you as well... You are still F'ed if this happens...


Absolutely correct


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## Huberis (Mar 15, 2015)

eaglesfansurfin88 said:


> But the point is that this insurance does not have collision coverage during Period 1 of driving... that is the period where the app is on, looking for paxs, no paxs in the car... your personal insurance will not cover you as well... You are still F'ed if this happens...


Assuming you have collision at all. No personal collision, no collision from Uber. Also assume you haven't voided your personal insurance by driving for Uber. I don't buy into the notion that drivers don't drive during phase 1 - ever. I see Uber drivers doing laps around town all night out of boredom. Perhaps it is a strategy to get pings too, I don't know. Clearly, from what I have seen, people do drive plenty during phase 1. I assume people drive with the app on while running errands too.

There is some myth that during phase 1 all uber cars are parked. I doubt it.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

In the District of Columbia, an "electronic insurance card" is not acceptable proof of insurance. An e-Mailed and printed insurance card is acceptable, but not one on the electronic device.

The suburban drivers can buy a rideshare endorsement, here, but those of us who live in the City can not. I am wondering if this is due to regulatory problems, or, because it is the City, the insurers do not want the liability, real or imagined. I was not aware that it was due to not wanting to assume what they consider a "high-risk" that kept insurers from offering a rideshare endorsement in New Jersey. Thank you for the edge-uh-mah-kayshinn.

New Jersey always has had one of the higher traffic fatality rates in the nation, although more than a few of them may be due to Turnpike, Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway users from out-of-state. Still, as someone who is against seat belt laws, I like to use New Jersey as an example, as it also has one of the highest "observed usage rates" in the country and has had, consistently.

It might be possible to purchase insurance similar to that of a taxicab. You might need to purchase your collision/fire/theft from yet another carrier. Here, the cabs and limousines purchase liability insurance from one of five carriers who write that here. None of those five write it for rideshare. Only one of the five writes collision for taxis or limousines. The other four refer their insureds to Banker's Independent if they want collision. Banker's Independent will not write collision for certain vehicles if they are used as taxicabs, such as Lincolns or Cadillacs. They will write for limousines that use those types of vehicles, though. If you have a taxicab for which Banker's Independent will not write, you must go to L.E. Harris, the excess and surplus lines brokerage for this area, who usually assigns you to a Lloyd's Circle.

I do not know if Banker's Independent is admitted in New Jersey. There may be lienholder problems if you have financed your car, even with its being used for rideshare. Even if the lienholder does not have a problem with rideshare usage, it will usually insist on the use of an admitted company for the collison/fire/theft.


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## Huberis (Mar 15, 2015)

Another Uber Driver said:


> In the District of Columbia, an "electronic insurance card" is not acceptable proof of insurance. An e-Mailed and printed insurance card is acceptable, but not one on the electronic device.
> 
> The suburban drivers can buy a rideshare endorsement, here, but those of us who live in the City can not. I am wondering if this is due to regulatory problems, or, because it is the City, the insurers do not want the liability, real or imagined. I was not aware that it was due to not wanting to assume what they consider a "high-risk" that kept insurers from offering a rideshare endorsement in New Jersey. Thank you for the edge-uh-mah-kayshinn.
> 
> ...


Very interesting.

I know we don't have collision on our taxis. Not much point when you figure how hard the cars are run 24/7. We have our own mechanic, so that kind of changes the dynamic compared to an Uber driver.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Huberis said:


> Very interesting.
> 
> I know we don't have collision on our taxis. Not much point when you figure how hard the cars are run 24/7. We have our own mechanic, so that kind of changes the dynamic compared to an Uber driver.


I do not know how the companies and drivers do it in your part of Pennsylvania.

In the Washington Metropolitan Area, the drivers do not work for the companies. Either they own or rent their vehicles. In the suburbs, you can rent for a certain number of hours or you can be on twenty four hour rental. If you are on twenty four hour rental, you keep the car. The company will call it in for service from time-to-time. Usually you pay your rent every day, so , in theory, the company can see the vehicle six days per week, if it wants to (Sundays are free if you are on twenty four hour rental). Most of the suburban drivers are rental drivers. There are private owners in the suburbs, but they are in the minority. It is _almost impossible_ to get a PPV Licence in Montgomery County, Maryland. Prince George's is quite difficult, as well. It is easier in the various jursidiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia to own, but most there rent, as well.

In the District of Columbia, all of the rentals are twenty four hour. You pay your rent weekly. On paper, it is an open entry market, but the Taxicab Commission has suspended the issuance of H-plates. The twenty four hour rental thing might change, as the Commission keeps issuing hack licences to the drivers, thus there are more drivers out there than there are cabs for them to rent. Shift cabs disappeared here in the late 1950s, but they might return if the Commission keeps issuing hack faces. If the Commission issues any more H-plates, it is likely that they will be few in number and only enough to lag somewhat behind the attrition factor. The Commission is holding a hearing on this subject on 16 July, so I will have a better idea then what it plans to do.

For years, there was no age limit on cabs in the District of Columbia. In the 1990s, the Commission put a ten year age limit on rental cabs, only. There remained no age limit on privately owned cabs. In 2011, the Commission put a seven year age limit on all taxicabs and began a gradual phaseout of the older models. The phaseout will be complete in 2018. In 2014, thanks to the Hotel, Restaurant and Toursim people on the Commission (people affiliated with those trades are _*UNFIT TO REGULATE THE TAXICAB BUSINESS.*) _the Commission imposed some _extremely oppressive and unduly burdensome _service life regulations. The end result of this will be the creation of a cycle of perpetual debt for the cabdrivers. As soon as a driver pays off his vehicle, it will become superannuated, thus he will have to borrow, again, to acquire another vehicle.

For the private owners who must finance, they will have to purchase full coverage. The fleet owners likely will not purchase it, unless someone finances them. Then, there are those such as me who purchase full coverage simply to protect the investment. My cab was up for replacement at the end of this year, but too much was going wrong with it for me to want to try to get it through the summer. You need air condition, here from May to the end of September. So, I bought a brand new Fusion hybrid. I paid cash for it. Still, I do want to protect the investment, so I carry full coverage on it. The insurance is tax deductible. I chose the new car and hybrid because the People's Taxikab Kommissariat will let me keep it the full seven years and likely give me an extra year. Currently, the service life on a gasolene powered cab is four years. It can be no more than seven model years old, but you can have it on the street only for four years. The People's Taxikab Kommissariat states that it will grant extensions for up to three years for vehicles that are "well maintained and are in exceptional mechanical and cosmetic condition", but knowing the Supreme People's Taxikab Kommissar and the other Kommissars on the Kommissariat, that _eyen't bloo'y loikely_ to happen for an older gasolene powered vehicle. Hybirds and acceesibles, yes, but gasolene only, nope. They will give you thirteen years on an alt-fuel accessible, but I know of only one make available. It costs fifty thousand bananas. The availability of alt-fuel filling stations in this area _ain't none too good, neither.
_
There is not that much money in providing accessible taxicab service, really, at least not without some subsidies. The District Government has channeled some funds to the larger companies here to acquire accessible vehicles, but not to individuals. The real money in accessible transportation is in paratransit.


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