Does Uber or Lyft insurance cover passengers?

Generally, yes. Once a driver accepts your ride, state law requires coverage until you leave the car: at least $1 million in Florida and D.C., and $1.25 million in New York outside New York City. Maryland and New York City set lower minimums.

What if the rideshare driver was logged in but hadn’t accepted a ride?

Lower limits apply: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage in Florida, Maryland and D.C., and $75,000/$150,000/$25,000 in New York outside New York City. Once a ride is accepted, Florida, D.C. and New York apply their higher trip limits, even before pickup.

What if the driver’s app was off?

Then the rideshare company’s coverage generally doesn’t apply, and the driver’s personal auto policy is usually the place to start. Your own coverage, such as PIP or uninsured motorist coverage, may also help.

Can I sue Uber or Lyft directly?

Usually, the claim is against the driver who caused the crash and is paid through the insurance the law requires. Whether the company itself can be responsible depends on the facts and the state’s law.

Who pays if another driver hit the Uber I was riding in?

Usually the at-fault driver’s insurer. If that driver has no insurance or too little, uninsured motorist coverage, on the rideshare policy where the law requires it or on your own policy, may apply.

Hurt in an Uber or Lyft? How Rideshare Accident Insurance Works

Key takeaways

Which rideshare policy applies depends on the driver’s app status: off, logged in and waiting, or on an accepted trip.
From the moment a driver accepts a ride until the passenger gets out, Florida and D.C. require at least $1 million in liability coverage, and New York State outside New York City requires $1.25 million.
Maryland’s rideshare law sets the same $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 minimum for every period, plus PIP and uninsured motorist coverage.
New York City doesn’t use app-status periods; Uber and Lyft cars there are TLC-licensed vehicles with their own insurance minimums.
Your own PIP or no-fault coverage may pay medical bills first, and some of those benefits have deadlines as short as 14 or 30 days.

If you’re hurt in an Uber or Lyft crash, whose insurance pays depends mostly on what the driver was doing in the app at that moment. With the app off, the driver’s personal policy is usually first in line; while the driver is logged in and waiting, lower limits set by state law apply; and from the moment a ride is accepted until the passenger gets out, the highest limits apply. Your own PIP or no-fault coverage may pay medical bills first, and Maryland and New York City follow different rules.

What are the rideshare insurance “periods”?

Rideshare laws divide a driver’s time into stages. Maryland’s law calls them “coverage periods” (Md. Code, Pub. Util. § 10-101):

App off. The driver is like any other driver. Their personal auto policy applies, and the rideshare company’s coverage generally doesn’t.
Logged in and waiting (period one). The driver is available but hasn’t accepted a request. Personal policies often exclude this time, so state law requires rideshare coverage, usually at lower limits.
Ride accepted, heading to the pickup (period two).
Passenger in the car (period three). This lasts until the passenger gets out.

In Florida, D.C. and New York outside New York City, the higher “trip” limits start as soon as the driver accepts the ride, so periods two and three are treated the same (Fla. Stat. § 627.748; D.C. Code § 50-301.29c; N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 1691).

Because so much turns on app status, the app’s records often decide whose policy pays. Maryland, for example, requires the company and its insurers to cooperate in sharing the precise times a driver was logged in during the 12 hours before and after a crash (Pub. Util. § 10-405).

How much coverage does the law require?

Where the crash happened	Logged in and waiting	Ride accepted until drop-off
Florida	$50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000	$1 million
Maryland	$50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000	$50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000
Washington, D.C.	$50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000	$1 million
New York State, outside NYC	$75,000 / $150,000 / $25,000	$1.25 million, plus $1.25 million in supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
New York City	TLC vehicle minimums (below)	TLC vehicle minimums (below)

The three-part figures are bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. These are legal minimums, and a policy may provide more.

Florida

Florida requires primary coverage while a driver is logged in or on a trip. If the driver’s own insurance has lapsed or falls short, the rideshare company’s policy must cover the claim from the first dollar, and it can’t wait for a personal insurer to deny the claim first (§ 627.748). Both periods also require PIP and uninsured motorist coverage “as required by” Florida’s UM statute, which lets a named insured reject UM in writing (§ 627.727). Whether UM is actually available on the rideshare policy is worth confirming.

Maryland

Maryland applies one set of minimums whenever a driver is providing rideshare services, whether logged in, heading to a pickup or carrying a passenger: $50,000/$100,000/$25,000, plus uninsured motorist coverage and PIP (Pub. Util. § 10-405). The statute doesn’t set a higher amount for the trip itself. A company may carry more, but that has to be confirmed in the claim. Maryland also lets personal auto insurers exclude coverage while a driver is providing rideshare services (Ins. § 19-517).

Washington, D.C.

D.C. requires $1 million per occurrence from the moment a driver accepts a ride until the passenger leaves the car, and $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 while the driver is logged in and available. If the driver’s own policy has lapsed, the company must provide the coverage from the first dollar (D.C. Code § 50-301.29c).

New York State and New York City

Outside New York City, New York’s rideshare law requires $75,000/$150,000/$25,000 while a driver is logged in and available, and $1.25 million, plus $1.25 million of supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, once a trip is accepted (Veh. & Traf. Law § 1693).

That law doesn’t apply in cities with a population of one million or more (§ 1692). In New York City, Uber and Lyft are licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) (NYC TLC), and for-hire trips go to TLC-licensed drivers in TLC-licensed vehicles (TLC). Instead of app-status periods, TLC rules set insurance minimums for the vehicle itself. For most for-hire cars seating up to seven passengers, that’s $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident for bodily injury, $10,000 for property damage and $100,000 in PIP (TLC insurance requirements).

Who pays your medical bills first?

Medical bills are often paid first through PIP or no-fault coverage, and the rules differ by state:

Florida: PIP generally follows the person. If you own a car insured in Florida, your own PIP usually pays first, even when you were riding in an Uber or Lyft. If you don’t, a policy of a relative you live with, or the rideshare vehicle’s PIP, may apply (§ 627.736). To use PIP, you must get initial care within 14 days of the crash.
Maryland: PIP of at least $2,500 (unless waived) can come from your own policy or from the policy covering the vehicle you were in (Ins. § 19-505).
Washington, D.C.: PIP is optional. If you have it, you generally must tell the insurer within 60 days whether you’re choosing PIP benefits, a choice that can limit your right to sue (D.C. Code § 31-2405).
New York: Passengers claim no-fault benefits from the insurer of the vehicle they were in, and pedestrians from the insurer of the vehicle that hit them. Written notice is due within 30 days of the accident (N.Y. DFS).

For pain and suffering and for losses beyond these benefits, the claim is generally against whoever caused the crash, whether that’s the rideshare driver, another driver or both. Florida and New York allow pain-and-suffering claims only for more serious injuries: Florida requires a permanent injury or a similar threshold (§ 627.737), and New York requires a “serious injury” as defined in its insurance law.

What if you were in another car, walking or biking?

The same app-status rules decide which of the driver’s policies applies when an Uber or Lyft hits another car, a pedestrian or a cyclist. If the rideshare driver was logged off, you’re usually dealing with an ordinary personal auto claim. If you were driving, your own PIP or no-fault, collision and uninsured motorist coverage may also come into play. Our car and rideshare accident page covers more.

What if you’re the rideshare driver?

If you drive for Uber or Lyft and were hurt by another driver, that driver’s insurance is the usual starting point. If they had little or no coverage, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage on the rideshare policy may help. Maryland and New York outside New York City require it; in Florida it can be rejected in writing, so the policy terms matter. Check your own policy too, but expect that it may exclude time spent logged in to the app.

What should you do after an Uber or Lyft accident?

Call 911 if anyone is hurt, and ask for a police report.
Report the crash to the rideshare company, through the app if you can, and save any confirmation.
Screenshot the trip details: the driver’s name and photo, license plate, route, times and your receipt.
Photograph the vehicles, the scene and your injuries, and get witnesses’ names and phone numbers.
Get the driver’s insurance information. In some places, the driver must show proof of rideshare coverage and say whether they were on a trip, and the company must help insurers confirm whether the driver was logged in (Pub. Util. § 10-405; D.C. Code § 50-301.29c).
Get medical care promptly (within 14 days in Florida to use PIP) and report the claim to your own insurer. In New York, give the no-fault insurer written notice within 30 days.
Be careful with recorded statements and early settlement offers until you know which policies apply.

How long do you have to bring a claim?

Most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years in Florida (for injuries after March 24, 2023) and within three years in Maryland, D.C. and New York (Fla. Stat. § 95.11; Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101; D.C. Code § 12-301; N.Y. CPLR 214). A crash involving a government vehicle can require formal notice much sooner, and the insurance deadlines above can arrive in days, not years.

When to talk to an attorney

Rideshare claims can involve several insurers, each pointing to another. It may be time to talk with an attorney if you were seriously hurt, if it’s unclear whether the driver was logged in or on a trip, or if an insurer has denied coverage or is pressing you for a statement.

Onx Law serves injured people in Florida, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and New York. We evaluate each case individually and may represent you directly, work with co-counsel, or involve trusted counsel when that better serves your case. Tell us what happened.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and the rules that apply depend on your facts.

Questions people ask

Generally, yes. Once a driver accepts your ride, state law requires coverage until you leave the car: at least $1 million in Florida and D.C., and $1.25 million in New York outside New York City. Maryland and New York City set lower minimums.
Lower limits apply: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage in Florida, Maryland and D.C., and $75,000/$150,000/$25,000 in New York outside New York City. Once a ride is accepted, Florida, D.C. and New York apply their higher trip limits, even before pickup.
Then the rideshare company’s coverage generally doesn’t apply, and the driver’s personal auto policy is usually the place to start. Your own coverage, such as PIP or uninsured motorist coverage, may also help.
Usually, the claim is against the driver who caused the crash and is paid through the insurance the law requires. Whether the company itself can be responsible depends on the facts and the state’s law.
Usually the at-fault driver’s insurer. If that driver has no insurance or too little, uninsured motorist coverage, on the rideshare policy where the law requires it or on your own policy, may apply.

Sources

About the author

Monica Washington Rothbaum

Founder & Managing Attorney. Monica Washington Rothbaum built Onx Law because she believed personal injury clients deserved a better-run law firm: one that evaluates every case on its own, builds the right team around it, and keeps it moving with care.