Insurer getting tough on Ottawa Uber drivers

OttawaSun.com
Nov. 2, 2015
Julienne Bay

Members of the Canadian Taxi Association are collecting data of the Uber drivers in various cities, the association's president says.

Marc Andre Way said there are a team of cabbies taking Uber rides to collect the data of the drivers including plate numbers -- to share the information with various insurance companies.

As a result, Aviva Canada, an insurance company, cracked down on four of its Ottawa drivers after being tipped off about their rideshare operations.

Of the four drivers, two had their policies voided, one driver let the policy lapse at renewal and one driver had his policy rewritten to fit the commercial purposes.

Glenn Cooper, a spokesman for Aviva, said the tips were given by the Canadian Taxi Association within the last few months.

Cooper, who said offering rideshares are business operations, added not having proper insurance could lead to adjustment or void of their policy.

Personal auto insurance does not cover elevated risks for vehicle damage and accidents related to commercial operations, he said.

He added those operating rideshare services under personal auto insurance are putting themselves and their customers in a danger, as their claims could get denied in a case of an accident.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Taxi Association is not looking to stop collecting plate numbers of Uber drivers.

Way said the team of "volunteers" have taken hundreds of Uber rides and there will likely be more drivers being cracked down by their insurance companies.

He added the cities of Ottawa and Toronto have not taken proper steps to enforce regulation toward rideshare services.

"We're held to different standards than they (the Uber drivers) are," Way said.

Way said those collecting Uber drivers' data are doing so on their own free time, and taxi businesses have not been affected.

Uber Canada's spokeswoman, Susie Heath, told the Sun Uber is working with Intact Financial to develop an insurance plan specifically tailored for ridesharing in Canada.

In the interim, every Uber ride in Canada continues to be covered by auto liability insurance with Uber's current insurance provider, Heath said in an email.