# Insurance



## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

So, I was in the newspaper yesterday - yay! The downside is that my insurance agent saw the article.

I am covered by Progressive. My local agent is saying that I am uninsurable unless I pay for additional coverage for taxi, limo, commercial etc.

I informed them that Uber and Lyft have their own insurance while I am online, they insist that I need this extra coverage for times when I am "working" and don't have a rider. 

Help?


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## Cableguynoe (Feb 14, 2017)

How much are they quoting you?


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

Cableguynoe said:


> How much are they quoting you?


They sent me a few PDFs, I'll print them tomorrow. I would prefer not to pay anything more if I don't have to, as I am not a taxi or limo driver.



Cableguynoe said:


> How much are they quoting you?


Here's the last file that they sent, I'm too tired to read it right now. Looks like Progressive has a strong stance on this.

By the way, I love the Dexter profile picture.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Benjamin M said:


> I would prefer not to pay anything more if I don't have to, as I am not a taxi or limo driver.


Contrary to your personal opinion you are a taxi or limo driver. You're also a livery driver. You are in the fare for hire business. You transport people around for compensation. It doesn't matter if customers call you or if they press a button on a smart phone app or even if they send smoke signals to ask you for a ride. You still drive the public around for money and that's commercial driving.

I'm afraid unless you start your own insurance company and include commercial driving with a personal policy in your underwriting rules then you're sh*t out of luck.


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Contrary to your personal opinion you are a taxi or limo driver. You're also a livery driver. You are in the fare for hire business. You transport people around for compensation. It doesn't matter if customers call you or if they press a button on a smart phone app or even if they send smoke signals to ask you for a ride. You still drive the public around for money and that's commercial driving.
> 
> I'm afraid unless you start your own insurance company and include commercial driving with a personal policy in your underwriting rules then you're sh*t out of luck.


So did I miss something when signing up for Uber and Lyft that this makes me a driver for hire and that I will need to purchase additional insurance? Because by the way, technically that means that I need to have a different registration as well.

Where I'm getting hung up is that I am not an employee, do not directly collect funds from passengers, and this is only a very limited use of my vehicle.


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## merryon2nd (Aug 31, 2016)

Bottom line, you either want to CYA, or you want to end hung up on a string. Anyone that transports strangers in their car for an outside company, no matter how often, is a TNC (driver for hire) in the eyes of the legal professionals and the insurance companies. Which means that if you do not carry the proper insurance for such, they will delight in stringing you up by your big toe just to hear you squeal the moment you get in an accident.


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Benjamin M said:


> So did I miss something when signing up for Uber and Lyft that this makes me a driver for hire and that I will need to purchase additional insurance? Because by the way, technically that means that I need to have a different registration as well.


What you have clearly missed are the dozens if not hundreds of posts on here talking about the need to have a rideshare "rider" on top of personal insurance.

But I will spend the time to explain in once again.

If you would bother to fully and completely read the personal auto insurance policy you have, you will find the section that explicitly excludes the use of the covered vehicle for any commercial purposes, which doing rideshare service is a commercial purpose. AS SUCH, you have violated the terms and conditions of that personal auto insurance policy.

Why am I berating you? Because you asked this question in the Insurance section of UberPeople.net without bothering to read any of the posts that are already there.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Benjamin M said:


> So did I miss something when signing up for Uber and Lyft.


I can't say for sure because I don't know Virginia fare for hire laws, but here in AZ there are many requirements mandated by state law that Uber/Lyft did not make the drivers aware of.



Benjamin M said:


> Where I'm getting hung up is that I am not an employee, do not directly collect funds from passengers.


Correct, you are not an employee of Uber/Lyft. You are a self employed livery driver that *DOES* collect directly from the passengers. If you notice that your 1099 at the end of the year contains the entire fares that the passengers pay. It's just that you pay Uber/Lyft a pre agreed fee to use their app and process your credit card payments. Uber/Lyft have always claimed never to be a transportation company. They claim only to be a transportation network company that matches riders with drivers and processes the payments of those riders to the drivers.

Don't feel bad. 99% of the people that signed up to drive for Uber had no clue what they were agreeing to. It's estimated that 80% of Uber drivers still don't have the proper insurance. Those commercials on TV about Uber are pretty convincing about getting your side hustle on.


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

Appreciate the feedback. Fortunately, the coverage was only $11 a month - can't beat that! 

When I applied to both companies, I saw that they provided insurance of their own while you are "working." So I am still perplexed as to why I need to supplement my current insurance - already doubled by theirs. The reason my agent provided was gaps of time when I do not have a rider. 

By the way I didn't post this in the Insurance section, I posted it under Advice and it was moved. New here, I didn't see this option.


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## merryon2nd (Aug 31, 2016)

The problem with Uber/Lyft version of 'insurance' is that more often than not, they will contact your actually insurance company to deal with the issue. Which is how people have been coming here, confused, when their insurance company canned them. Because they LIED to their insurance company, and breached contract by driving commercially without their knowledge. This also made them highly illegal on the road, times two.
Congratulations on becoming one of the few legal drivers on the road with a rideshare company.


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

merryon2nd said:


> The problem with Uber/Lyft version of 'insurance' is that more often than not, they will contact your actually insurance company to deal with the issue. Which is how people have been coming here, confused, when their insurance company canned them. Because they LIED to their insurance company, and breached contract by driving commercially without their knowledge. This also made them highly illegal on the road, times two.
> Congratulations on becoming one of the few legal drivers on the road with a rideshare company.


I read an awesome post on here this morning clarifying the phases involved while online. Wish I had seen the Insurance topic sooner!

It's all good, the coverage is cheap. I actually created a media buzz here, was front page on every local paper - my local agent happened to buy a copy

Next time, I will ask the editor not to use my full name! But I am glad that I am following the rules now.


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## merryon2nd (Aug 31, 2016)

lol, damn. Maybe more people will follow the example now


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## henrygates (Mar 29, 2018)

Why were you in the newspaper?


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

Benjamin M said:


> So, I was in the newspaper yesterday - yay! The downside is that my insurance agent saw the article.
> 
> I am covered by Progressive. My local agent is saying that I am uninsurable unless I pay for additional coverage for taxi, limo, commercial etc.
> 
> ...


You didn't have proper insurance to Uber (whether you knew it or not) and your insurance agent isn't giving you a "quit or else" ultimatum, because he doesn't believe you will quit if you say you will)

There's good news and there's bad news.

The good news is your insurance agent didn't figure out because of an accident, leaving you with a totaled car and no money to fix it.

The bad news is that the bad news keeps getting worse from here.

You lose...
How bad you lose and what this means I don't know.

Step -5 (negative 5) stop driving your car, especially on Uber
Step zero, if you need a car for a long commute get a rental unril you fix your insurance. This could take weeks.

Depending on the state Uber can deny you coverage during an accident because your personal insurance isn't valid)

(If your willing to quit driving for Uber/Lyft)

Step -1. Take yourself off the insurance policy sell the car to a loved one and get a policy that would theoretically cover anyone who is driving it (IN THEIR NAME) (You will have to quit driving for Uber/lyft and pay said loved one to pay the insurance policy)

{believe it or not this is legalish}

Step 1. Shop around for a rideshare policy from someone else.

Step 2. If that doesn't work... and you can afford to quit driving for Uber and lyft. (Quit immediately send an email to both asking to be deactivated for insurance purposess)
then shop around for a different company. Even if you quit you may still need to get rideshare insurance.

Step 3. If that fails.. you might have to get taxi/town car insurance.
(The good news is... if you go this route you can hand out cards and cut Uber out)

The bad news is it's a heck of a lot more money.

Step 4. If all of the above don't work for any reason... bend over and kiss it. Your out of options.


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> You didn't have proper insurance to Uber (whether you knew it or not) and your insurance agent isn't giving you a "quit or else" ultimatum, because he doesn't believe you will quit if you say you will)
> 
> There's good news and there's bad news.
> 
> ...


Dude, it's all good! I live in a small town, I've known my agent for about 15 years. This was new to both of us, I'm insured properly now and I am happily driving.



henrygates said:


> Why were you in the newspaper?


Because I live in a rural area and rideshare is a relatively new concept. I created a Facebook page that caught the attention of an editor, the story (I believe) made four local papers - two for sure.

Grammatical errors and the spelling of my last name changed from one sentence to the next (apparently nobody proofs things anymore) but it was cool.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

Benjamin M said:


> I'm insured properly now and I am happily driving.


That's what matters...

and i see it was only $11 a month.

That's actually affordable.



Benjamin M said:


> So I am still perplexed as to why I need to supplement my current insurance - already doubled by theirs.


I know the answer to this..

Uber and lyft wrote a one size fits all insurance policy to COVER THEM, not you, them...


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> I know the answer to this..
> 
> Uber and lyft wrote a one size fits all insurance policy to COVER THEM, not you, them...


Once again, Steve the Magic Unicorn provides both an incorrect and meaningless answer.


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

BigJohn said:


> Once again, Steve the Magic Unicorn provides both an incorrect and meaningless answer.


Hey be nice. At least he didn't call me an ant


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Benjamin M said:


> Hey be nice. At least he didn't call me an ant


True I will give him that. Steve the Magic Unicorn did not lower himself down to the level of others who attempt to degrade others.

Thank you Steve the Magic Unicorn for that.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Benjamin M said:


> I live in a small town. I created a Facebook page that caught the attention of an editor, the story (I believe) made four local papers.


A small town with 4 newspapers? Hell, I live in the 5th largest city in America and we only have 2 papers.


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> A small town with 4 newspapers? Hell, I live in the 5th largest city in America and we only have 2 papers.


LOL yeah but they share the same stories, including my last name spelled differently all over the place.


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## kcdrvr15 (Jan 10, 2017)

Call the progressive commercial ins company, their number is on the web page for progressive.com.

I bought commercial livery insurance from progressive, liabilty, comprehensive, uninsured and under-insured, even roadside assistance, only cost about $60 more, per 6 months. Ive got the required commercial livery insurance, run my Lincoln Towncar as a 'black car service' , lyft lux, and as a street hail 'town car taxi'.


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

kcdrvr15 said:


> Call the progressive commercial ins company, their number is on the web page for progressive.com.
> 
> I bought commercial livery insurance from progressive, liabilty, comprehensive, uninsured and under-insured, even roadside assistance, only cost about $60 more, per 6 months. Ive got the required commercial livery insurance, run my Lincoln Towncar as a 'black car service' , lyft lux, and as a street hail 'town car taxi'.


Awesome thanks for the tip! Progressive has treated me well for many years


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## kcdrvr15 (Jan 10, 2017)

Benjamin M said:


> Awesome thanks for the tip! Progressive has treated me well for many years


You will.have to call, they dont do the comm policies online


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