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Insurance industry officials warn that Uber drivers don't [always] have the proper accident coverage and are putting themselves and the public at risk when they get behind the wheel. That stark message, and a call for the city to regulate Uber drivers, came during what a pair of insurance officials and Councillor Jim Karygiannis called a "technical briefing" at Toronto City Hall Thursday.
They said many drivers for the controversial ride-sharing service are hiding their activity from insurers. By law, drivers must declare to their insurance company if they're driving passengers for hire so the insurer can provide the proper policy and accident coverage.
[...]
But Philomena Comerford, CEO of Baird MacGregor Insurance Brokers, said in many cases this isn't happening with Uber drivers. That means Ontario's motorists could be hit with higher premiums because of "significant and unexpected" injury claims.
"This problem comes at time when the insurance industry is working hard with the Ontario government to reduce personal consumer automobile insurance rates which do not contemplate this commercial activity," she said.
MacGregor said Uber's $5-million supplementary policy covers the company, but not the drivers themselves.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Saturday August 01 2015, @12:24AM
Not so fast. That is a blind assumption:
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/speed-factor-bob-simon-livery-cab-crash-cops-article-1.2112327 [nydailynews.com]
Im sure this is an isolated incident, right? It's not. Search for "new york fatal taxi accident" and "dangerous taxi driver new york"
There are many reckless drivers in cabs of all types including yellow medallion, green borough and the private car (livery or limo) service drivers. I witnessed a livery driver snorting his own spit, a sure sign of a coke user. I even knew who he was because he lived in my neighborhood and his brother was sent to jail for peddling coke in local dive bars. Friends of mine were in a yellow cab when the driver lit and then dropped his cigarette and jammed on the brakes to retrieve it in the middle of traffic. They then noticed he smelled of alcohol and was intoxicated. They demanded he pull over and let them out, he refused and they called 911 from the back seat of the cab. The cabbie pulled over, they got out and he sped off into traffic. They noted the taxi number and reported him to police. Who knows what happened to him.
Point is you can't trust anyone. No matter what a business tells you in order to appear legit, they are likely lying or their employees are lying. Shit I've worked for places that claimed they drug tested their employees and ran background checks when they had in their employ: a guy locked up for armed robbery, pot heads and another dude who was busted in a sting buying crack from a dealer in a school parking lot. All those claims are bullshit.