How much insurance is available after a New York Uber or Lyft accident?
New York has two very different rideshare insurance systems.
For Uber and Lyft trips governed by New York’s statewide transportation-network-company law outside New York City, the required coverage while a driver is logged onto the digital network and not yet on a prearranged trip is at least $75,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person / $150,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons / $25,000 for property damage, plus uninsured motorist (UM) insurance and personal injury protection (PIP / no-fault). Once the driver accepts a ride, the required liability coverage becomes at least $1,250,000, plus $1,250,000 in supplemental uninsured/underinsured (SUM) insurance and PIP. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs (Q12)
New York City is different. NYC Uber and Lyft drivers generally operate as Taxi and Limousine Commission-licensed commercial for-hire drivers, not as Article 44-B TNC drivers. Their own TLC commercial insurance is the starting point, and the statewide $75,000/$150,000/$25,000 and $1.25 million TNC tiers should not simply be copied onto a New York City accident.
NYC or elsewhere in New York? Start with where the passenger was picked up, then check the app status at the moment of the accident.
Picked up in New York City (the five boroughs): Article 44-B does not apply to a prearranged trip originating in New York City. Look to the driver’s TLC commercial policy. For a typical TLC livery or black car seating one to seven passengers, the TLC minimum is $100,000 per person / $300,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, $10,000 for property damage, and $100,000 in personal injury protection. TLC reduced the PIP requirement from $200,000 to $100,000 effective March 1, 2026, under Local Law 90 of 2025. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs (Q7) NYC TLC — Get a For-Hire Vehicle License NYC TLC — Local Law 90 PIP amendment One city example is Matter of Progressive Ins. Co. v. Bruton. A Queens Lyft passenger sought SUM benefits. On July 9, 2025, the Appellate Division permanently stayed arbitration because she was not an insured under that Progressive endorsement. The car was a New York City for-hire vehicle as the policy defined it. The case is not the statewide $1.25 million minimum.
Picked up anywhere else in New York State: Article 44-B applies. That means at least $75,000 / $150,000 / $25,000 plus UM and PIP while the driver is logged on and waiting, then at least $1,250,000 in liability coverage, $1,250,000 in SUM coverage, and PIP from acceptance until the last requesting passenger gets out. A trip picked up outside New York City and dropped off inside it is still an Article 44-B trip. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs (Q7, Q10, Q12)
New York & the Northeast
New YorkA Queens Lyft Rider Sought Underinsured Motorist Benefits. The Policy Excluded Her Ride.
New YorkWestchester Riders Asked Lyft to Offer Wheelchair-Accessible Rides. A Court Upheld the Dismissal.
New YorkUber Said the Driver Was an Independent Contractor. A New York Court Let the Accident Case Continue.
New YorkA Wrong-Way Driver Hit Ada Rivero’s Uber in Manhattan. A Homicide Indictment Followed.- The full archiveAll RideClaim.co articles
Outside New York City, acceptance changes the liability limit from $75,000/$150,000 to $1.25 million
New York calls the accepted-ride period a “TNC prearranged trip.” It begins when the driver accepts a passenger’s request and ends when the last requesting passenger exits the vehicle. That means the drive to pickup and the passenger trip share the same $1.25 million liability tier.
The table below describes an Article 44-B TNC trip outside New York City.
| App status at impact | Policy that responds | Liability available |
|---|---|---|
| Driver offline | Driver’s personal auto policy | The personal policy controls. New York’s standard minimum liability limits are $25,000 for bodily injury to one person / $50,000 for bodily injury to two or more people / $10,000 for property damage. Higher limits apply for death. |
| App on, waiting for a request | TNC coverage maintained by the driver, the TNC through a group policy, or a combination | At least $75,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person / $150,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons / $25,000 for property damage, plus UM and PIP (no-fault). DFS Ridesharing FAQs (Q12) |
| Ride accepted / heading to pickup | TNC coverage maintained by the driver, the TNC through a group policy, or a combination | At least $1,250,000 for bodily injury to or death of any person and injury to or destruction of property, plus $1,250,000 SUM and PIP. That Period 2 window begins when the driver accepts the request. DFS Ridesharing FAQs (Q3, Q12) |
| Passenger in vehicle until the last requesting passenger exits | TNC coverage maintained by the driver, the TNC through a group policy, or a combination | The same Period 2 coverages continue until the last requesting passenger exits: at least $1,250,000 liability, $1,250,000 SUM, and PIP. DFS Ridesharing FAQs (Q3, Q12) |
DFS FAQ Q12 requires UM and PIP during Period 1 and SUM and PIP during Period 2. It does not state dollar amounts for Period 1 UM or PIP, or for Period 2 PIP. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs (Q12)
The required coverages may be provided in a single policy or through a combination of policies, including a TNC group policy. A TNC must maintain a group policy at all times. If the driver’s TNC coverage lapses or does not provide the required Article 44-B coverages, the TNC’s group policy must provide that coverage beginning with the first dollar of a claim, and the group insurer has a duty to defend. Group-policy coverage is not dependent on a personal-insurer claim denial. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs (Q13, Q19, Q21, Q22)
New York City is a separate commercial-insurance system
Article 44-B does not apply to a prearranged trip originating in New York City. A vehicle picking up a passenger in New York City, even through a TNC digital network, must comply with other state and New York City laws and regulations — in practice, TLC licensing and TLC insurance minimums. Livery vehicles, taxicabs, for-hire vehicles, limousines, and black cars are also excluded from Article 44-B’s TNC-vehicle definition. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs (Q4, Q7)
For a typical TLC-licensed livery or black-car for-hire vehicle seating one to seven passengers, the current TLC minimum is:
- $100,000 liability per person
- $300,000 liability per occurrence
- $10,000 property-damage liability
- $100,000 personal injury protection per person
The $100,000 personal injury protection amount took effect March 1, 2026. TLC reduced it from the former $200,000 requirement under Local Law 90 of 2025. NYC TLC — Vehicle Insurance Requirements, updated March 3, 2026 NYC TLC — Local Law 90 PIP amendment, effective March 1, 2026
Those are minimums for the TLC commercial vehicle policy, not a representation that every NYC Uber or Lyft accident has only those limits. The actual commercial declarations, endorsements, vehicle class, and any additional applicable coverage must be obtained.
A trip that begins outside New York City under Article 44-B does not lose its Article 44-B status merely because the destination is inside New York City. The New York Department of Financial Services specifically addresses that situation in its ridesharing guidance. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs
In most of New York State, the acceptance timestamp changes both liability and underinsured-driver protection
For an Article 44-B driver, the difference between “waiting” and “accepted” is unusually large.
Before acceptance, the statutory liability tier is $75,000 per person / $150,000 per accident for bodily injury or death and $25,000 for property damage. Once the request is accepted, the required liability coverage becomes at least $1.25 million per occurrence. The accepted-ride period also carries $1.25 million in supplementary uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.
The driver’s personal auto policy should not be assumed to cover rideshare activity. DFS states that the policy the driver used to register the vehicle may exclude coverage, including personal injury protection (no-fault), while the driver is logged onto a TNC digital network or providing a prearranged trip, if the policy contains that exclusion. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs (Q23)
Location matters just as much as the timestamp. A claim involving a TLC-licensed commercial driver in New York City can follow a different insurance structure from a conventional Article 44-B Uber or Lyft claim in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, or another part of the state.
New York requires much more TNC underinsured-motorist protection after a ride is accepted
Liability coverage pays claims against an insured driver who is legally responsible for an accident. Uninsured motorist coverage protects an insured person when the responsible vehicle has no applicable liability insurance. Supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage can protect an insured person when the responsible vehicle has no insurance or not enough insurance for the loss, subject to the policy and statutory rules.
Outside New York City: waiting for a request
DFS FAQ Q12 requires the Period 1 policy to include uninsured motorist insurance as well as the 75/150/25 liability floors and PIP. The FAQ does not state a dollar amount for that Period 1 UM coverage. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs (Q12)
Outside New York City: accepted ride through passenger exit
DFS FAQ Q12 requires $1,250,000 in supplemental uninsured/underinsured (SUM) insurance, along with at least $1,250,000 in liability coverage and PIP, while the driver is engaged in a prearranged trip. That period begins when the driver accepts the request and ends when the last requesting passenger departs. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs (Q3, Q12)
Uber outside New York City
Uber’s current New York State certificate, excluding New York City, tracks the statutory structure.
While the driver is online and waiting for a request, it lists:
- $75,000 per person / $150,000 per accident bodily-injury liability
- $25,000 property-damage liability
- uninsured motorist coverage and personal injury protection, which should be confirmed from the certificate in effect on the accident date
After a ride is accepted, the certificate lists a $1,250,000 combined single liability limit and $1,250,000 in supplementary uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, plus personal injury protection. Uber New York State Certificate of Liability Insurance, excluding NYC, effective March 1, 2026–March 1, 2027
Uber separately states that New York City drivers must obtain TLC licensing and commercial insurance, and that Uber does not maintain the ordinary rideshare auto policy on behalf of NYC-licensed commercial/livery drivers. Uber — Insurance for Rideshare Drivers in New York
Lyft outside New York City
Lyft’s current New York certificate, excluding New York City, also reflects the Article 44-B limits.
During the waiting period it lists $75,000 per person / $150,000 per accident bodily-injury liability, $25,000 property-damage liability, and uninsured motorist coverage and mandatory personal injury protection, which should be confirmed from the certificate in effect on the accident date.
For the accepted-ride period, it lists a $1,250,000 combined single liability limit and $1,250,000 per accident in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, with mandatory personal injury protection. Lyft New York Certificate of Liability Insurance, excluding NYC, effective October 1, 2026–October 1, 2027
Lyft’s general insurance page says its standard platform policies do not apply to NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission drivers, who procure their own commercial auto coverage. Lyft also identifies certain TLC-driver trips originating in Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, Dutchess, Ulster, and Rockland Counties as exceptions to its generally procured rideshare coverage. That makes the driver’s licensing status and the actual policy especially important in those areas. Lyft — Insurance coverage while driving with Lyft
New York City
For a TLC-licensed commercial vehicle, do not substitute the Article 44-B $1.25 million TNC rules for the actual TLC policy.
City policy terms, not the statewide minimum. Katherine Bruton sought supplementary uninsured and underinsured motorist benefits from Progressive, the insurer on Lyft’s policy. She alleged she was hurt in January 2023 while a passenger in a Lyft driven by Salimjon Primatov in Queens, when another vehicle struck that car. Under the SUM endorsement, she had to qualify as an insured. The policy required that the accident occur while the driver was operating a transportation network company vehicle as the policy defined one. That definition did not include “a for-hire vehicle, as defined in section 19-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York.”
A Queens judge refused to stop arbitration. On July 9, 2025, the Appellate Division, Second Department, reversed and permanently stayed the arbitration. The court held that Primatov’s car was a New York City for-hire vehicle under this policy, so Bruton was not an insured for this claim. The ruling construes this Progressive endorsement and this claim. It does not set a coverage amount for every New York City ride, and it does not turn the Article 44-B $1.25 million SUM figure into a city rule. Read the Bruton brief.
Uninsured motorist or supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist amounts on a TLC commercial policy should be verified from that policy. They should not be assumed from the Article 44-B Period 2 SUM figure, and no TLC UM or SUM dollar floor is stated.
Uber says NYC drivers must carry their own TLC commercial insurance. Lyft likewise says its standard rideshare policies do not apply to NYC TLC drivers. The FH-1 certificate, commercial declarations, endorsements, and any additional platform coverage in force on the accident date therefore matter more than a generic Uber or Lyft national insurance chart.
In New York, preserve both the timestamps and the pickup location
A New York rideshare insurance investigation should establish whether the accident falls under Article 44-B or the NYC TLC commercial system, then establish the exact app period. Preserve or request:
- The passenger’s trip receipt
- The ride-request and acceptance timestamps
- The pickup and drop-off locations
- The Uber or Lyft trip ID
- The driver’s exact app status at impact
- The police accident report
- Insurance information for every vehicle involved
- The rideshare driver’s personal auto policy and any rideshare endorsement
- The TNC group-policy certificate and underlying policy in effect on the accident date
- The TNC claim number
- App screenshots
- Communications with Uber or Lyft
- Relevant personal uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
- For a New York City or other TLC-driver claim, the FH-1 commercial insurance certificate, declarations, endorsements, TLC license information, and vehicle class
- For an Article 44-B claim, the exact log-on and log-off times surrounding the accident
For an Article 44-B claim, get the driver’s log-on and log-off times around the accident and a clear description of the coverage, exclusions, and limits that applied that day.
Latest from New York
- A Queens Lyft Rider Sought Underinsured Motorist Benefits. The Policy Excluded Her Ride. ·
- Westchester Riders Asked Lyft to Offer Wheelchair-Accessible Rides. A Court Upheld the Dismissal. ·
- Uber Said the Driver Was an Independent Contractor. A New York Court Let the Accident Case Continue. ·
- A Wrong-Way Driver Hit Ada Rivero’s Uber in Manhattan. A Homicide Indictment Followed. ·
In New York, “where did the trip begin?” can matter almost as much as “when was it accepted?”
Outside New York City, acceptance triggers the $1.25 million Article 44-B tier. In New York City, TLC commercial insurance rules govern instead. Getting both facts right is the first step toward identifying the insurance that actually applies.