During the meeting, Uber discussed a number of items: its expansion plan for South Carolina, its plans to first launch in Columbia, and policies for drivers to follow. Then came the doozy: The Uber guy leading the discussion told the group of drivers to “refrain from discussing their association with Uber with their personal insurance company.”
Whoa. Are you kidding? Would you trust a prospective employer who you gave you this advice? Would you follow it?
Uber is clearly aware that personal insurance policies don’t cover driving for a ‘ridesharing’ company. This is why the instructor doesn’t want prospective drivers raising it with their insurance companies. If you drive passengers in exchange for money it becomes a commercial transaction—and not covered by personal insurance.
This is insurance fraud. It is blatantly harmful for prospective drivers. And it is blatantly in everyone’s worst interests except Uber’s.
This is also why the California Public Utilities Commission’s proposed changes include requiring drivers to inform their private insurance companies that they are driving commercially. And it’s just one of the many reasons you can’t believe Uber when it says it can regulate itself.