Montana treats Uber and Lyft as Class E motor carriers, requiring $50,000 while drivers wait and $1 million from acceptance
Montana has no standalone rideshare act. Its rules sit in the motor carrier chapter: “Class E motor carriers include all transportation network carriers,” and they need a certificate of compliance from the Public Service Commission. 69-12-301(4), 69-12-340. While a driver is logged on and available, 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.
The law mentions only uninsured motorist coverage, and only “when required by 33-23-201,” which lets the named insured reject it. It sets no underinsured motorist or med pay requirement.
Statute text as of October 13, 2026, from the Montana Code Annotated 2025 published by the Montana Legislature: MCA 69-12-343 and MCA 69-12-101.
Montana & the West
The $1 million period starts at acceptance and ends when the last rider departs
A prearranged ride begins “when a driver accepts a ride requested by a rider,” continues while the driver transports the rider, and ends “when the last requesting rider departs from the personal vehicle.” 69-12-101(16). The drive to the pickup is inside the $1,000,000 period.
| App status | Statute | Liability required | Uninsured motorist |
|---|---|---|---|
| App off | Personal policy, 61-6-103 | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, $20,000 property damage | Included at $25,000 / $50,000 unless the named insured rejects it (33-23-201) |
| Logged on and available, no ride accepted | 69-12-343(2) | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, $25,000 property damage, primary | “When required by 33-23-201” |
| Accepted, driving to the pickup | 69-12-343(3); 69-12-101(16) | $1,000,000 primary | Same |
| Rider in the car | 69-12-343(3) | $1,000,000 primary | Same |
| Last rider departed, still logged on | Back to 69-12-343(2) | $50,000, $100,000, and $25,000 | Same |
MCA 69-12-343 does not require underinsured motorist or medical payments coverage.
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. 69-12-343(2)(b), (3)(b). If the driver’s insurance “has lapsed or does not provide the required limits,” the company’s insurance provides the coverage “beginning with the first dollar of a claim” and has the duty to defend. 343(4). The company’s coverage may not depend on a personal insurer first denying the claim. 343(5).
The driver must carry proof of coverage and, after an accident, provide it and say whether they were logged on or on a ride. 343(8). In a claims coverage 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. 69-12-345(4).
A rideshare company “does not own, control, operate, or manage” drivers’ vehicles. 69-12-340(5). Whether it is liable for a driver’s negligence beyond its insurance is unsettled.
A personal policy may exclude everything while the app is on
Personal auto insurers “may exclude any and all coverage” for loss or injury while the driver is logged on or providing a prearranged ride, including liability, personal injury protection, uninsured and underinsured motorist, medical payments, comprehensive, and collision. 69-12-345(1). MCA 69-12-345.
Uninsured coverage is required only as 33-23-201 requires it, and that law allows rejection
Both app-on periods require “uninsured motorist coverage when required by 33-23-201.” 69-12-343(2)(a)(ii), (3)(a)(ii). Section 33-23-201 requires uninsured motorist coverage at the 61-6-103 limits on policies for vehicles registered and principally garaged in Montana, and lets the named insured reject it. MCA 33-23-201.
How 33-23-201 applies to a rideshare company’s policy is unsettled, including whether the company may reject the coverage and whether any higher amount applies in the $1,000,000 period. Neither company certificate shows a written rejection.
Uber’s periods 2 and 3 certificate prints the airport qualification next to those amounts: $1,000,000 per accident for accidents on the premises of public airports, and “otherwise, UM/UIM coverage is not included in any amount.” Period 1 prints “Not included in any amount.” Lyft’s certificate prints no uninsured or underinsured figure. “Not included” is what the certificate says. It is not a finding that 33-23-201 requires no coverage, and it is not a UM amount set by 69-12-343. The airport line is also not a rule about pickup fees. Whether an airport may charge a rideshare pickup fee remains unsettled.
Uber prints $1 million from acceptance, with uninsured coverage only at public airports
Uber’s Montana certificates are issued by Farmers Insurance Exchange, NAIC 21652. Uber certificate PDF.
| Certificate | Policy and term | Liability printed | Uninsured and underinsured printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Period 1 | 606715896, 03/01/2026 to 03/01/2027 | $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000 | “Not included in any amount” |
| Periods 2 and 3 | 606715897, 09/01/2026 to 03/01/2027 | $1,000,000 combined single limit | $1,000,000 per accident for accidents on the premises of public airports; “otherwise, UM/UIM coverage is not included in any amount” |
| Physical damage | 606715897PD, 03/01/2026 to 03/01/2027 | Comprehensive and collision, $2,500 deductibles | Not applicable |
No med pay is printed.
Lyft prints 50/100/25 and $1 million, but no Period 3 liability figure
Lyft’s certificate SEA-004219088-07 is issued by Mobilitas Insurance Company, NAIC 16392, for October 1, 2026 to October 1, 2027, and says “Evidence of Insurance Only for the State of MT.” Lyft certificate PDF.
| Policy | Period printed | Limit printed |
|---|---|---|
| MTBA1T6624548270 | Period 1 | $50,000 / $100,000 bodily injury, $25,000 property damage |
| MTBA2T6624548270 | Period 2 | $1,000,000 combined single limit |
| MTBA3T6624548270 | Period 3 | Only a $2,500 physical damage deductible |
The certificate prints no liability figure for Period 3. The statute requires $1,000,000 while a ride is in progress. 69-12-343(3). No uninsured, underinsured, or med pay coverage is printed.
The rideshare insurance law does not require PIP or med pay
MCA 69-12-343 does not require personal injury protection or medical payments coverage, and neither certificate prints med pay. A personal policy’s PIP or med pay, if any, may be excluded while the app is on. 69-12-345(1).
Every registered vehicle’s owner must continuously carry liability insurance of at least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, and $20,000 property damage. 61-6-301, 61-6-103. MCA 61-6-103.
You recover if 50 percent or less at fault, and you have three years to sue
Your negligence does not bar recovery if it “was not greater than” the combined negligence of all persons you sue, and your damages are reduced by your percentage. 27-1-702. At 51 percent you recover nothing. MCA 27-1-702.
A defendant 50 percent or less at fault is severally liable only and pays only its own percentage, unless the parties acted in concert or one was the other’s agent. 27-1-703(2), (3). MCA 27-1-703.
- Injury: 3 years. 27-2-204(1).
- Wrongful death: 3 years, or 10 years if the death results from a homicide. 27-2-204(2). MCA 27-2-204.
- Property damage: 2 years. 27-2-207.
Punitive damages are capped at $10 million or 3 percent of net worth
Punitive damages may not exceed $10 million or 3 percent of the defendant’s net worth, whichever is less. 27-1-220(3). MCA 27-1-220. Check with a Montana attorney about whether any other limit applies to compensatory damages in an ordinary accident.
Claims against the State go to the Department of Administration first, and damages cap at $750,000
Government entities are not liable for more than $750,000 for each claim and $1.5 million for each occurrence. 2-9-108(1). MCA 2-9-108. They are immune from punitive damages. 2-9-105.
A claim against the State must be presented in writing to the Department of Administration, and suit cannot be filed until it is denied or 120 days pass; the limitation period is tolled for 120 days. Claims against a local government are filed with its clerk or secretary. 2-9-301. MCA 2-9-301. The ordinary limitation periods apply. 2-9-302.
No fixed-day notice deadline appears in 2-9-301. Whether presenting a claim to a local government is required before suing is unsettled.
Notify police immediately for injury or $1,000 in damage, and report in writing within 10 days
- Stop and aid: stop, give your name, address, and registration, show your license on request, and give reasonable aid. 61-7-103, 61-7-105.
- Police notice: for injury, death, or apparent property damage of $1,000 or more, notify police immediately by the quickest means. 61-7-108. MCA 61-7-108.
- Written report: within 10 days for injury, death, or property damage over $1,000, unless an officer investigated and reported it. 61-7-109. MCA 61-7-109.
- Rideshare driver: must give coverage information and, on request, say whether they were logged on or on a ride. 69-12-343(8).
Montana’s 2025 law allows Level 4 and 5 vehicles subject to rules
Under the Montana Automated Driving Systems Act, Level 1 to 3 vehicles may use public highways, and Level 4 and 5 vehicles may do so subject to limits set by department rulemaking. 61-6-409. MCA 61-6-409.
Whether the 69-12-343 limits apply to a driverless trip is unsettled.
The Public Service Commission certifies rideshare companies, and local governments cannot regulate them
Rideshare services “are exclusively governed by this chapter and rules promulgated by the commission.” A local government may not impose a tax or fee, require a license, or impose any other operational requirement on them. 69-12-342. MCA 69-12-342. A company may apply for the Class E certificate on behalf of its drivers. 69-12-340(3). MCA 69-12-340.
The statute has no airport exception. Whether airports may charge rideshare pickup fees is unsettled.
What decides which policy and which limit applies
- Whether the driver was logged off, logged on and available, had accepted a ride, or was carrying you.
- Log-on and log-off times for 12 hours around the accident. 69-12-345(4).
- Whether the accident happened on public airport premises, where Uber’s certificate shows $1,000,000 in uninsured coverage.
- Your own uninsured, underinsured, and medical coverage.
- Your share of fault compared with all defendants combined.
- The 3-year deadline, and a Department of Administration claim if a State vehicle was involved.
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Pin down the period, then find the uninsured coverage
In Montana, acceptance moves liability to $1,000,000, but neither certificate shows uninsured coverage outside Uber’s airport rule. A free review can sort out which policies apply to your accident.