Uber and Insurance in Ontario

If you want to drive for Uber, live in Ontario and wonder if you need any additional car insurance.

Living in Toronto Ontario, I have been insured with my insurance for over 12 years. I have personally signed up to be Uber driver. Application process was fairly simple and quick.

During applying and reading fine print you do consent to : "background check, submit your driver's license, submit information about your vehicle or insurance" and further reading "name, email, phone number, postal address, profile picture, payment information, vehicle registration information, insurance information, driver's license information, and other information you may choose to provide."

Also, to qualify to be Uber driver you must be at least 21 years old, with a personal license (G class or provincial equivalent) and personal auto insurance. Any four-door vehicle made after 2005, in excellent condition. Your car must be 2005 or newer, have 4 or more doors and not be salvaged.

I also received an email explaining what will be needed from my end. I need to upload photo of my driver's license, vehicle insurance pink slip, vehicle registration and proof of residence. My driver's license photo takes approximately 15 minutes to approve. Electronic identity verification via email takes about 10 minutes. Next comes background check which takes 3 days. Once all of the above is approved you can start driving for Uber.

Last step of the process is a welcome video explaining a lot about what it means to be part of Uber and how to be a responsible Uber driver, how to pick up passengers, how to work on your rating, etc. (just over 15 minutes long).

Couple of days later I received an email from Uber that all my documents have been uploaded and verified. Uber partners with FADV (First Advantage) Background Screening Services company which checks criminal background and your driving record. Application process takes 4-6 business days.

Now, as far as the question whether I am insured as a driver, here is an extract from Uber:

"Every ride on the uberX platform in Canada is insured. In the event of an accident during an uberX trip, ridesharing partners are covered by commercial auto insurance in addition to any insurance coverage maintained by the driver-partner. We also have a well established claims process. Upon being notified, we work with our riders or partners on properly resolving any accident claim."

- and -

"All drivers are required to carry valid personal auto insurance, which will be your primary coverage. Every ride on the uberX platform is backed by $5,000,000 of contingent coverage for bodily injury and property damage to third parties. This means that if, in the event of an accident, your own personal insurance is exhausted or does not apply for any reason, passengers, pedestrians, other drivers, and the community at large can rest assured knowing that ridesharing partners remain covered by a robust first-class policy"

*sources:
http://www.driveuber.ca/frequently-asked-questions/
https://newsroom.uber.com/toronto/uberx-safety-in-canada/

I have contacted my Insurance broker with a simple question: What if I wanted to join Uber? How would this affect my policy and would there be any additional charges to my policy. The insurance company that I am with considers Uber as a commercial taxi insurance type. They do not offer this type of coverage in Ontario and basically I was told to shop around for a new brokerage and to get rates from them.

So in my case it seems that my own personal car insurance would not cover any claims that occurred while driving for Uber and I would be totally in hands of Uber in any claims.

Now what I strongly suggest that you contact your own insurance broker and ask them for this information as this may vary depending on who you are insured with. If you have contacted your insurance company and have received rates please share them with us. If you live outside of province of Ontario rules may be different in your province. Please share what the rules are in your province.