Under California law, the insurance requirements are different depending on what phase the Uber driver is in. The first phase is period 0. This is the time when the Uber rideshare app is inactive, the Uber driver is unavailable, and there is no passenger in the Uber vehicle. Uber insurance is not available during this inactive or offline period. The only insurance that applies is the driver's personal insurance. The California minimum insurance applies, which is $15,000 for each person's injuries in an accident, $30,000 for all people injured in an accident, and $5,000 for damage to property.
The next period is known as Period 1. This is a period during which an Uber driver is available but has not yet been paired with a passenger. Under California law, the following minimum auto insurance coverages are required: $50,000 bodily injury insurance coverage per person per accident, $100,000 bodily injury insurance coverage for all injured persons combined per accident, and $30,000 property damage insurance coverage per accident. Uber’s insurance is available in this situation.
The next periods, 2 and 3, have the same insurance requirements. Period 2 is when a ride has been accepted but the passenger hasn’t entered the car yet. Period 3 is when the passenger has entered the vehicle. Uber is required to have insurance that will pay one million dollars in case of an accident. This insurance policy covers both the Uber driver and the passengers. Uber also provides uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance, which provides coverage when another vehicle is responsible for the accident and the driver does not have insurance or the policy limits don’t cover the damages.