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 or death to one person / $150,000 for bodily injury or death to two or more people / $25,000 for property damage. |
| 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 death, bodily injury, and property damage per occurrence. |
| Passenger in vehicle until the last requesting passenger exits | TNC coverage maintained by the driver, the TNC through a group policy, or a combination | At least $1,250,000 for death, bodily injury, and property damage per occurrence, plus $1,250,000 in supplementary uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. |
New York also requires no-fault personal injury protection during the TNC periods. The New York Department of Financial Services identifies $50,000 per insured person as the basic no-fault benefit, and Uber’s and Lyft’s current New York certificates reflect mandatory personal injury protection. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs
New York’s statutory TNC limits come from Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1693. The law allows the required coverage to be maintained by the driver, by the TNC through a group policy, or by a combination of the two. If driver-maintained TNC coverage lapses or fails to provide the required insurance, the TNC’s group policy must provide coverage from the first dollar and must defend the claim. The TNC policy cannot require the driver’s personal auto insurer to deny the claim first.
New York City is a separate commercial-insurance system
Article 44-B expressly states that its financial-responsibility section does not impose requirements on for-hire vehicles operating in a city with a population of one million or more. New York City therefore uses its Taxi and Limousine Commission system instead. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1693
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. NYC TLC — Vehicle Insurance Requirements, updated March 3, 2026 NYC TLC — 2025 Personal Injury Insurance Coverage Rule
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. New York permits a personal auto insurer to exclude any or all coverage while a driver is logged into the TNC network or engaged in a prearranged trip. The statute expressly allows exclusions for liability, no-fault benefits, uninsured motorist coverage, supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, and physical damage. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1695
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
New York requires uninsured motorist coverage during the waiting period. The New York Department of Financial Services identifies the minimum as $25,000 for injury to one person and $50,000 for injury to two or more people, with higher statutory amounts for death. New York Department of Financial Services — Ridesharing FAQs
New York’s ordinary auto rules likewise require minimum uninsured-motorist protection. Supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is a separate form of protection. New York Insurance Law § 3420(f)
Outside New York City: accepted ride through passenger exit
New York makes the accepted-ride rule much stronger. Current Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1693 requires $1,250,000 in supplementary uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage during the prearranged trip. That period begins at acceptance and ends when the last requesting passenger exits. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §§ 1691 and 1693 New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1693
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
- $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident uninsured motorist bodily-injury coverage
- $50,000 personal injury protection per insured person
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 $50,000 in personal injury protection per insured person. 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, $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident uninsured motorist bodily-injury coverage, and mandatory personal injury protection.
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, 2025–October 1, 2026
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.
New York Insurance Law requires uninsured motorist protection in policies covering vehicles used to carry passengers for hire. For a standard for-hire vehicle, the statutory uninsured-motorist floor is $25,000 for injury to one person and $50,000 for injury to more than one person, with separate higher limits for death. Supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is distinct and should be verified from the commercial policy rather than assumed from the statewide TNC rule. New York Insurance Law § 3420(f)
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
New York adds a useful disclosure rule. When a claim is filed, the TNC and the Article 44-B insurer must cooperate in the coverage investigation and exchange relevant information, including the driver’s precise log-on and log-off times during the 12 hours before and after the accident and a clear description of the coverage, exclusions, and limits. The statute requires that exchange within 15 days after the claim is filed. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1695
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.