Farmers Insurance recently announced its coverage expansion and will now sell Uber driver insurance. This further strengthens the relationship between the insurer and the ride hailing company.
The new unique auto insurance coverage is available to 2 existing states, 12 new ones and D.C.
Farmers’ Uber driver insurance is being sold in 12 more states than it already was, as well as Washington D.C. Beyond the District of Columbia, the ride hailing company’s drivers will be able to purchase coverage from Farmers in:
• Iowa
• Missouri
• Indiana
• Hawaii
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Maryland
• Kansas
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Nebraska
• Delaware
These are in addition to Pennsylvania and Georgia, where the insurer was already selling the coverage.
This makes Farmers the second insurer to expand its offerings for Uber driver insurance coverage.
This growing coverage availability is helping to fill in the gap faced by the drivers in a number of states. That gap was placed in the spotlight when James River Group announced its intentions to drop the coverage on October 8, 2019. That firm dropped the ride hailing company – its largest client – and stated that no policies would be renewed as of December 31.
However, even before Farmers announced its own expanded coverage, Liberty Mutual Insurance made its own announcement. At the tail end of last year, it stated that it would begin selling Uber driver insurance coverage in several states as of December 31, 2019. That coverage is now available in Puerto Rico, as well as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont.
“Having been in the commercial automobile insurance business for more than 80 years, we are proud to have leveraged our talent and insights to develop an innovative commercial auto insurance solution that helps Uber and drivers using the Uber App,” explained Farmers president of business insurance, Sharon Fernandez.
Though each state has its own regulations, they generally require drivers for ride hailing companies to carry coverage that includes property damage, bodily injury liability, and first party medical benefits.