What insurance does Rhode Island require once a ride is accepted?
Once a driver accepts a ride, Rhode Island requires primary liability insurance of at least $1,500,000 for death, bodily injury, and property damage. While the driver is logged on and available, and has not accepted a ride, the floor is $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, and $25,000 for property damage. R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14.2-14(b)(1), (c)(1).
Both periods also require uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage “to the extent required by § 27-7-2.1.” A dollar amount for that coverage was not found in § 39-14.2-14. The company certificates print lower amounts. Those figures sit beside the statutory cross-reference in the table below.
The Division of Public Utilities and Carriers issues the permits. Checked November 10, 2026, against the General Assembly text: R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14.2-14 and R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14.2-1.
Rhode Island & the Northeast
When does the $1.5 million period start?
A prearranged ride begins “when a TNC driver accepts a TNC rider’s request for a ride” through the company’s digital network. 39-14.2-1(12). The drive to the pickup is inside the $1,500,000 period. The last column is what the company certificates print. It is not a dollar amount from § 39-14.2-14.
| App status | Statute | Liability required | Uninsured and underinsured in the statute | Uninsured and underinsured on the company certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| App off | Personal policy, 31-47-2(13)(i)(A) | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage | Equal to the bodily injury limits unless the named insured selects lower limits in writing (27-7-2.1) | No company certificate. This row is the personal policy. |
| Logged on and available, no ride accepted | 39-14.2-14(b) | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, $25,000 property damage, primary | A dollar amount was not found in § 39-14.2-14. The statute says “to the extent required by § 27-7-2.1.” | Uber prints $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. Lyft’s certificate states: “All Automobile policies evidenced include UM/UIM $25,000/$50,000.” |
| Accepted, driving to the pickup | 39-14.2-14(c); 39-14.2-1(12) | $1,500,000 primary | Same cross-reference. A dollar amount was not found in § 39-14.2-14. | Same printed amounts. Uber $25,000 / $50,000. Lyft’s certificate says all automobile policies evidenced include UM/UIM $25,000/$50,000. |
| Rider in the car | 39-14.2-14(c) | $1,500,000 primary | Same cross-reference. A dollar amount was not found in § 39-14.2-14. | Same printed amounts. Uber $25,000 / $50,000. Lyft $25,000/$50,000. |
If the driver’s coverage lapses or falls short, the company’s insurance pays from the first dollar
The driver, the company, or a combination may carry the coverage. 39-14.2-14(b)(3), (c)(3). If the driver’s insurance “has lapsed or does not provide the required coverage,” the company’s insurance provides it “beginning with the first dollar of a claim,” with a duty to defend. 14(d). The company’s coverage may not depend on a personal insurer first denying the claim. 14(e).
In a claims coverage investigation, the company must provide the driver’s log-on and log-off times for the 12 hours before and after the accident. 39-14.2-15(d). R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14.2-15.
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
Insurers writing auto liability insurance in Rhode Island “may exclude any and all coverage” on a personal policy for loss or injury while the driver is logged on or providing a prearranged ride. 39-14.2-15(b). Before drivers can accept rides, the company must tell them in writing that their own policy might not cover them. 15(a).
What uninsured amount does the statute set, and what do the certificates print?
Both app-on periods require “Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to the extent required by § 27-7-2.1.” 39-14.2-14(b)(2), (c)(2). A dollar amount was not found in § 39-14.2-14.
Section 27-7-2.1(a) says the insurer shall provide uninsured motorist coverage equal to the insured’s bodily injury liability limits. The named insured may select a lower limit in writing. That written limit may not go below the amounts in § 31-47-2(13)(i)(A): $25,000 because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident, and $50,000 because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident. A named insured who is buying only the minimum compulsory coverage may reduce the limit to zero, and only after signing an advisory notice. The statute’s definition of uninsured motorist includes an underinsured motorist. R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-7-2.1. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-47-2.
Uber’s certificate prints $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in the waiting period and in the accepted-ride period. Lyft’s certificate states: “All Automobile policies evidenced include UM/UIM $25,000/$50,000.” Those are the figures in the certificate column above. The full rows are in the certificate sections below.
Whether uninsured coverage on a rideshare policy must equal $1,500,000, and whether the company may select lower limits, is unsettled. Neither company certificate shows a written rejection or reduction of coverage.
Uber prints $1.5 million from acceptance and uninsured coverage of $25,000 / $50,000
Uber’s Rhode Island 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 underinsured printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available, no request accepted | ASE-665-067247-336 | $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000 | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
| Acceptance through the trip | ASE-665-067247-346 | $1,500,000 combined single limit | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
| Physical damage | ASE-665-067247-346 | Comprehensive and collision, $2,500 deductibles | Not applicable |
No med pay is printed.
Lyft prints $1.5 million for Period 2, but no Period 3 liability figure
Lyft’s certificate SEA-004219106-05 is issued by Mobilitas General Insurance Company, NAIC 10675, for October 1, 2026 to October 1, 2027. Lyft certificate PDF.
| Policy | Period printed | Limit printed |
|---|---|---|
| RIBA1T6624548271 | Period 1 | $50,000 / $100,000 bodily injury, $25,000 property damage |
| RIBA2T6624548271 | Period 2 | $1,500,000 combined single limit |
| RIBA3T6624548271 | Period 3 | Only a $2,500 physical damage deductible |
The certificate prints no liability figure for Period 3. The statute requires $1,500,000 while a ride is in progress. 39-14.2-14(c)(1). The certificate states: “All Automobile policies evidenced include UM/UIM $25,000/$50,000.” No med pay is printed.
Rhode Island has a med pay law, but the rideshare law does not mention it
Auto policies issued in Rhode Island must include medical payments coverage of at least $2,500 per person and $5,000 aggregate regardless of fault, unless the named insured rejects it in writing. 27-7-2.5. R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-7-2.5. The rideshare law does not require med pay, and neither certificate prints it.
Whether 27-7-2.5 applies to rideshare company policies is unsettled. A personal policy’s med pay may be excluded while the app is on. 39-14.2-15(b).
Your share of fault reduces your damages but never bars recovery, and you have three years
A lack of due care by the injured person “shall not bar a recovery,” but damages are reduced in proportion to their negligence. 9-20-4. This is pure comparative fault: you can recover even if you were mostly at fault. R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-20-4.
Among joint tortfeasors there is a right of contribution, and when fault is disproportionate, relative fault sets each one’s share. 10-6-3. R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-6-3.
- Injury: within 3 years after the cause of action accrues. 9-1-14(b). R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14.
- Wrongful death: within 3 years after the death, or from discovery if the wrongful act was not known at death. 10-7-2(c).
A wrongful death defendant found liable owes at least $350,000
Whenever a person or corporation is found liable for wrongful death, it is liable for “not less than three hundred fifty thousand dollars ($350,000).” 10-7-2(c). R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-7-2. Check with a Rhode Island attorney about whether any other damages limit applies to an ordinary injury case.
Government damages cap at $100,000 unless the function was proprietary
Damages in a tort action against the State or a political subdivision may not exceed $100,000, except where the State was engaged in a proprietary function. 9-31-2. The same $100,000 cap and proprietary exception apply to cities, towns, and fire districts. 9-31-3. R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-31-2, R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-31-3.
Tort suits against the State, a political subdivision, or a city or town must be filed within 3 years of accrual. 9-1-25. R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-25. For a city or town, the claim must first be presented to the council; if it is not paid within 40 days, suit may follow. 45-15-5. R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-15-5.
Whether the Airport Corporation and similar quasi-public bodies fall under these caps, and whether State claims need presentment, is unsettled.
Notify police immediately for injury, and file a written report within 21 days
- Information and aid: give your name, address, and registration, show your license, and give reasonable assistance. 31-26-3.
- Police notice: for injury, death, or a vehicle disabled from normal and safe operation, notify police immediately by the quickest means. 31-26-3.2.
- Written report: within 21 days to the Division of Motor Vehicles for injury, death, or damage to any one person’s property over $1,000. 31-26-6. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-26-6.
Rhode Island has no driverless vehicle statute
The rideshare chapter defines a driver as an individual who uses a personal vehicle. 39-14.2-1. R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14.2-1. Title 31’s “automated” chapters, 31-41.2 and 31-41.3, cover traffic-violation and school-zone speed cameras. R.I. Gen. Laws Title 31 index. A 2016 bill to permit autonomous vehicles, S 2514, did not become law. S 2514 (2016) bill text.
Whether chapter 39-14.2 would apply to a driverless trip is unsettled.
The Division permits rideshare companies, towns cannot regulate them, and T.F. Green can
No one may operate a rideshare company without a permit from the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers. 39-14.2-5. R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14.2-5. Cities, towns, and other local entities may not license, register, charge fees or taxes on, or regulate rideshare companies and drivers. 39-14.2-18. R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14.2-18.
Notwithstanding that rule, the Rhode Island Airport Corporation may set “reasonable regulations” for rideshare operators on the property of Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport and other state airports, through its ground transportation rules or operating agreements. 39-14.2-19. R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14.2-19.
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. 39-14.2-15(d).
- The uninsured and underinsured coverage on the rideshare policy and on your own policy.
- Your own med pay, if you did not reject it.
- Your share of fault, which reduces but does not bar recovery.
- The 3-year deadline, and council presentment if a city or town is involved.
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Pin down the period, then the uninsured coverage
In Rhode Island, acceptance moves liability to $1,500,000, and both companies print uninsured coverage of $25,000 / $50,000. A free review can sort out which policies apply to your accident.