One more thing, "Uber".

I would bet dollars to doughnuts that most of those drivers aren't legally insured to do what they do. I would hate to get hurt in one of their rides, and be SOL.

 

Without getting too far into the Uber debate (and I am not a fan of Uber), it very much depends on the jurisdiction you're in. My understanding is that at a minimum, Uber does provide insurance when a driver is on their way to a pickup or actively driving someone; as a passenger, you're pretty well covered no matter what. In addition, in at least some cities (NYC is the one that first comes to mind), Uber is basically limited to commercial livery drivers, they're just using Uber as their "base" instead of another car service provider. The bigger worry, on a macro level, is that Uber's insurance doesn't apply when a driver is wandering around waiting for a fare, and if they hit, say, a pedestrian or another car, everyone is in a lot of trouble. There's a lot of risk-shifting from Uber and its drivers to the general public going on.

 

I don't know about in Vegas but where I live drivers have to be licensed by the city. Part of that requirement is providing a copy of your car insurance policy and the policy must state something to the effect that passengers are covered if the vehicle is being used as a P2P. My policy clearly states I am not covered in that case, which is part of the reason I wont do it any longer. I do not want to get a more expensive policy to do it.

 

Uber covers the insurance during the ride.
https://newsroom.uber.com/insurance-for-uberx-with-ridesharing/

This explains it in more detail though
http://www.forbes.com/sites/harrycampbell/2015/10/07/why-are-so-many-las-vegas-uber-drivers-lying-to-their-insurance-companies/2/

 

From what I see here, the "coverage" is for the driver, not the customer.

 

Read it again, riders are covered.

 

If I am reading it correctly, Uber drivers have coverage as 44inarow described. But there is a coverage gap for ride share drivers outside of the period when they actively have customers and it's hard for them to get personal coverage. As a passenger, you don't have much to worry about but as a driver sharing the road with an Uber driver, you just might.

All these new disruptive services have their upsides but we need to be conscious of the rules and regs traditional services follow that they are skirting, The thing that makes them cheaper may be a protection you are taking for granted.

 

You would lose your bet then, you are just as safe in an uber/Lyft as in a cab in Vegas.

 

That is a bet I would take for sure! I think this horse has been sufficiently beat........

The insurance thing was one of the early battles that was proven and thus why they have gotten into the cities and states they have.