Effective July 7, 2016, Uber has purchased new ridesharing insurance covering all ridesharing rides in the province of Ontario. The coverage will be provided by Intact Insurance on a blanket fleet coverage basis.
The Ontario government along with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) recently approved a changes to the insurance act so that Ontario insurance companies can now provide fleet insurance policies for ridesharing companies. Thanks to this recent development Intact has teamed up with Uber to provide coverage for all drivers and passengers when Uber is in use.
This new policy addresses a potential coverage gap that had previously existed for Uber passengers and now ensures that everyone can be covered under the new Intact policy. This partnership is a huge success for the sharing economy and we look forward to more insurers stepping up to address the changing marketplace.
Some auto insurers are still not willing to cover your vehicle under a personal lines policy if you drive for Uber so it is important to speak to your broker to ensure that you are still covered.
The coverages provided by Intact's Uber fleet policy are as follows:
- $2 million of third party liability coverage per incident: This covers a rideshare driver’s liability to third parties from the moment a driver accepts an Uber trip until its conclusion. This policy is expressly primary to standard personal auto coverage.
- Statutory Ontario accident benefits
- $2 million of Uninsured Automobile Coverage: Protects vehicle occupants who are injured by a hit-and-run driver, an uninsured motorist, or an inadequately insured motorist. It also covers damage to your vehicle caused by an identified uninsured driver.
- Direct Compensation – Property Damage Coverage: This statutory coverage pays for repairs to a driver’s vehicle, as well as related expenses, in the event of an accident that is not entirely the driver’s fault. There is a $1000 deductible.
- Contingent Collision and Comprehensive: This covers loss or physical damage to the rideshare driver’s vehicle up to the actual cash value of the vehicle with a $1,000 deductible. This coverage only applies if the vehicle is also insured for collision and comprehensive coverage on the auto policy of the vehicle owner when not used for ridesharing.
- Coverage between trips: During the time that a ridesharing partner is available through the Uber app but has not yet accepted a trip, we maintain coverage that provides $1 million of third party liability and uninsured automobile coverage along with all of the other coverages listed above.
