In Maine, rideshare insurance must include uninsured motorist coverage and $2,000 in med pay, and $1 million applies from acceptance
Maine’s Transportation Network Company Insurance Act, 24-A MRSA 7301 to 7305, sets the insurance rules. While a driver is logged on and waiting, the floor is $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, and $25,000 for property damage. Once the driver accepts a ride, it is $1,000,000. In both periods the law also requires medical payments coverage at the state minimum and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.
Permits, driver rules, and limits on local regulation are in a separate law, 29-A MRSA 1671 to 1677.
Statute text as of October 13, 2026, from the Maine Revised Statutes published by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes: 24-A MRSA 7303 and 24-A MRSA 7302.
Maine & the Northeast
The $1 million period starts when the driver accepts and ends when the rider gets out
A prearranged ride begins “when the driver accepts a transportation request through a digital network” and ends “when the rider departs from the driver’s personal vehicle.” 24-A 7302, 3. The drive to the pickup is already inside the $1,000,000 period.
| App status | Statute | Liability required | Med pay | Uninsured and underinsured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| App off | Personal policy, 29-A 1605 | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage | $2,000 per person | Required, at least $50,000 / $100,000 |
| Logged on, no ride accepted | 24-A 7303, 2 | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, $25,000 property damage, primary | The 1605-A minimum, $2,000 per person | Required under 24-A 2902 |
| Accepted, driving to the pickup | 24-A 7303, 3; 7302, 3 | $1,000,000 primary | $2,000 per person | Required under 24-A 2902; amount unsettled |
| Rider in the car | 24-A 7303, 3 | $1,000,000 primary | $2,000 per person | Same |
| Rider has departed, driver still logged on | Back to 24-A 7303, 2 | $50,000, $100,000, and $25,000 | $2,000 per person | Required under 24-A 2902 |
Medical payments are required in both app-on rows. The floor is $2,000 per person for medical costs within one year of the injury. 24-A MRSA 7303, 2(B) and 3(B), through 29-A MRSA 1605-A. Section 1605-A does not apply to a policy insuring more than 4 vehicles. How that exception interacts with the rideshare cross-reference is unsettled.
That $2,000 figure is not an uninsured-motorist amount. Uber’s certificate prints med pay as “included,” with no dollar amount. Lyft’s certificate states that all policies include medical expense of $2,000. The ride-period uninsured amount is still unsettled. The statute does not say whether it must match $1,000,000 or only the $50,000 / $100,000 floor.
If the driver’s coverage lapses or falls short, the company pays from the first dollar
The driver, the company on the driver’s behalf, or a combination may carry the coverage. 24-A 7303, 2 and 3. If the driver’s insurance “has lapsed or does not provide the coverage required,” the company provides it “beginning with the first dollar of a claim,” and its insurer has a duty to defend. 7303, 4. The company’s coverage may not depend on a personal insurer denying the claim. 7303, 5.
The driver must carry evidence of coverage while using the app and provide coverage information after an accident. 7303, 8. In a claims investigation, the company and insurers must share the driver’s log-on and log-off times for the 12 hours before and after the accident. 24-A 7305, 4. 24-A MRSA 7305.
Whether Uber or Lyft is liable for a driver’s negligence beyond its insurance is unsettled.
A personal policy may exclude everything while the app is on
Notwithstanding the usual uninsured motorist and financial responsibility rules, a personal auto insurer may exclude coverage for any loss or injury while the driver is logged on or on a prearranged ride, including liability, uninsured and underinsured motorist, medical payments, comprehensive, and collision. 24-A 7305, 1.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage is required in both periods, but the ride-period amount is unsettled
Both app-on periods require “Uninsured vehicle and underinsured motor vehicle coverage required pursuant to section 2902.” 24-A 7303, 2(C) and 3(C). Under 2902, an underinsured vehicle is one whose coverage is below the state bodily injury minimums or below the injured person’s own uninsured coverage, and coverage on any policy may never be less than the $50,000 / $100,000 bodily injury minimums. 24-A MRSA 2902.
The statute does not say whether uninsured coverage in the $1,000,000 period must match $1,000,000 or only the $50,000 / $100,000 floor. That is unsettled.
Uber prints $1 million from acceptance and uninsured coverage of $50,000 / $100,000
Uber’s Maine certificates are issued by Liberty Surplus Insurance Corporation, NAIC 10725, for March 1, 2026 to March 1, 2027. Uber certificate PDF.
| What the form describes | Policy | Liability printed | Uninsured and med pay printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available to receive requests, none accepted | ASE-665-067247-266 | $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000 | Uninsured and underinsured $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident; med pay “included,” no amount printed |
| Acceptance recorded, en route to pickup or to the destination | ASE-665-067247-276 | $1,000,000 combined single limit | Same |
| Physical damage on accepted trips | ASE-665-067247-276 | Comprehensive and collision, $2,500 deductibles | Not applicable |
Uber’s certificate prints no med pay figure. The statute requires at least $2,000 per person. 29-A 1605-A.
Lyft prints $2,000 med pay and $50,000 / $100,000 uninsured coverage, but no Period 3 liability figure
Lyft’s certificate SEA-004219065-07 is issued by Mobilitas Insurance Company, NAIC 16392, and says “Evidence of Insurance Only. For the State of ME.” Lyft certificate PDF.
| Policy | Period printed | Limit printed | Uninsured and underinsured printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEBA1T6624548270 | Period 1 | $50,000 / $100,000 bodily injury, $25,000 property damage | $50,000 / $100,000 |
| MEBA2T6624548270 | Period 2 | $1,000,000 combined single limit | $50,000 / $100,000 |
| MEBA3T6624548270 | Period 3 | Only a $2,500 physical damage deductible | $50,000 / $100,000 |
The certificate prints no liability figure for Period 3. The statute requires $1,000,000 while a ride is in progress. 24-A 7303, 3. The certificate states that all policies include medical expense of $2,000.
Maine has no PIP; $2,000 in med pay is the floor
Maine does not use personal injury protection. A liability policy on a vehicle registered or garaged in Maine must include at least $2,000 per person for medical costs of the driver and passengers, for costs within one year of the injury. 29-A 1605-A. 29-A MRSA 1605-A. The rideshare law requires that minimum in both app-on periods. 24-A 7303, 2(B) and 3(B).
Section 1605-A does not apply to a policy insuring more than 4 vehicles. How that interacts with the rideshare law’s cross-reference is unsettled.
Equal fault bars recovery, defendants are jointly liable, and the general deadline is six years
Your fault reduces your damages by the amount the jury finds just, but “if such claimant is found by the jury to be equally at fault, the claimant may not recover.” 14 MRSA 156. With more than one defendant, “each defendant is jointly and severally liable to the plaintiff for the full amount of the plaintiff’s damages.” 14 MRSA 156.
- Injury suits: civil actions must be brought within 6 years after the cause of action accrues. 14 MRSA 752. 14 MRSA 752.
- Wrongful death: within 3 years after the death. 18-C MRSA 2-807, 2.
Wrongful death damages for lost companionship are capped at $1 million, adjusted for inflation
In a wrongful death case, the jury may award damages for loss of comfort, society, and companionship up to $1,000,000, adjusted for inflation, and punitive damages up to $500,000. 18-C MRSA 2-807, 2. 18-C MRSA 2-807.
Check with a Maine attorney about whether any other damages limit applies to an ordinary injury case.
Notice within 365 days, suit within two years, and a $400,000 cap
Under the Maine Tort Claims Act, a governmental entity is liable for negligence in its ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle. 14 MRSA 8104-A. Written notice is due within 365 days after the claim accrues, stating the claim’s basis, the injury, and the amount claimed. 14 MRSA 8107. Suit must begin within 2 years. 14 MRSA 8110. 14 MRSA 8107, 14 MRSA 8110.
Damages, including costs, may not exceed $400,000 for all claims from a single occurrence, and no punitive damages are allowed. 14 MRSA 8105. If the entity’s insurance is higher, its limits apply instead. 14 MRSA 8116. 14 MRSA 8105.
Report an accident with injury or $2,000 in damage immediately
- Police notice: an accident causing injury, death, or apparent property damage of $2,000 or more “must be reported immediately by the quickest means of communication” to state, county, or local police. 29-A 2251. 29-A MRSA 2251.
- Stop and remain: after an accident with injury or death, stop, remain, and give your name, address, registration number, license, and evidence of insurance. 29-A 2252.
- Rideshare driver: must give coverage information after an accident and, on request, say whether they were logged on or on a ride. 24-A 7303, 8.
Maine has no driverless-vehicle operating statute
A 2019 bill to create one, LD 1710, An Act To Enact the Automated Driving Safety Act, received a final disposition of Ought Not to Pass on May 23, 2019. LD 1710 status. Testing runs under Resolve 2017, c. 46, which directs the Commissioner of Transportation to “establish a process to evaluate and authorize an autonomous vehicle tester to demonstrate and deploy for testing purposes an automated driving system on a public way,” and under MaineDOT’s Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Program Rules, 17-229 C.M.R. ch. 800. Resolve 2017, c. 46. The rideshare law’s definitions assume a human driver, so whether it would apply to a driverless trip is unsettled.
The Secretary of State issues a $10,000 permit, and towns cannot regulate rideshare
A rideshare company needs an annual permit from the Secretary of State, at $10,000 a year, and must maintain the required insurance. 29-A 1672. 29-A MRSA 1672. No municipality may regulate, tax, license, or charge fees on rideshare companies, drivers, or their vehicles. An airport with scheduled passenger service and more than 20,000 boardings in the prior year may regulate parking and traffic flow and charge a reasonable fee per pickup. 29-A 1677. 29-A MRSA 1677.
What decides which policy and which limit applies
- Whether the driver was logged off, logged on and waiting, had accepted a ride, or was carrying you.
- Log-on and log-off times for 12 hours around the accident. 24-A 7305, 4.
- The uninsured and underinsured coverage on the rideshare policy and on your own policy.
- Med pay: at least $2,000 per person, for costs within one year.
- Whether you were found equally at fault, which bars recovery.
- The 6-year deadline, or the 365-day notice and 2-year suit deadline if a government vehicle was involved.
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Pin down the period, then the uninsured coverage
In Maine, acceptance moves liability to $1,000,000, and both companies print uninsured coverage of $50,000 / $100,000. A free review can sort out which policies apply to your accident.