Ohio changes liability coverage at ride acceptance
| App status at impact | Policy that responds | Liability available |
|---|---|---|
| Driver offline | Driver’s personal auto policy | The TNC insurance statute does not govern an offline driver. Ohio’s minimum personal-auto financial-responsibility limits are $25,000 bodily injury per person / $50,000 bodily injury per accident / $25,000 property damage. |
| App on, waiting for a request | Primary insurance satisfying Ohio’s TNC law | At least $50,000 for bodily injury/death of one person / $100,000 for two or more people / $25,000 property damage. |
| Ride accepted, heading to pickup | Primary insurance satisfying Ohio’s TNC law | At least $1,000,000 for bodily injury, death, and property damage in one accident. |
| Passenger in vehicle | Same accepted-ride TNC period | At least $1,000,000 through the time the last requesting rider leaves the vehicle. |
Ohio’s TNC coverage can be supplied by a policy maintained by the driver, a policy maintained by the transportation network company, or a combination. If the driver’s personal insurance does not provide the liability limits required by Ohio’s TNC law, the company-maintained insurance must provide the required coverage beginning with the first dollar of the claim and has the duty to defend. The TNC policy cannot require the personal auto insurer to deny the claim first. Ohio Revised Code § 3942.02.
Uber’s current Ohio certificate, effective March 1, 2026 through March 1, 2027, lists $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 while the driver is waiting for a request and a $1,000,000 combined single limit once a ride has been accepted. The certificate states that uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is not included in either rideshare period. Uber Ohio Certificate of Insurance.
Lyft’s current Ohio certificate, effective October 1, 2025 through October 1, 2026, likewise lists $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 for the waiting period and $1,000,000 combined single limit for the accepted-ride period. The public ACORD certificate does not state an Ohio UM/UIM limit. Lyft Ohio Certificate of Liability Insurance.
When does the $1 million Ohio period begin and end?
Ohio defines “transportation network company services” to begin when the driver accepts the rider’s request through the digital network. It continues while the driver transports the requesting rider and ends when the last requesting rider departs the vehicle. Ohio Revised Code § 3942.01(I).
That means Ohio does not create a lower insurance tier for the drive to pickup. The higher statutory liability requirement starts at acceptance, before the passenger gets in.
The practical timeline is:
- Offline: personal insurance.
- Logged in and available, no accepted ride: at least $50,000/$100,000/$25,000.
- Ride accepted: at least $1 million.
- Passenger enters: still the same $1 million period.
- Last requesting rider exits: the accepted-ride period ends.
If the driver stays logged in afterward, the waiting-period rules apply again until the next request is accepted or the driver logs off.
Why it matters
An Ohio claim can change insurance tiers with a single app event.
If the accident happens seconds before the driver accepts a request, the required TNC liability limits are $50,000/$100,000/$25,000. If it happens seconds after acceptance, Ohio requires at least $1 million.
Ohio also gives personal auto insurers broad authority to exclude rideshare activity. A personal insurer may exclude liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, uninsured/underinsured property-damage coverage, medical-payments coverage, comprehensive coverage, and collision coverage while the driver is logged into the TNC network or providing TNC services. Ohio Revised Code § 3942.03.
That is why “the driver had personal insurance” does not answer the coverage question. The app status, the personal policy’s rideshare exclusions, and the TNC policy in force on the accident date all matter.
Are there different city rules?
Ohio expressly treats TNC regulation as a matter of statewide concern and broadly preempts local TNC regulation. Public-use airports may impose reasonable operating standards, procedures, and fees, but the statute does not create a separate municipal insurance tier for Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, or other cities. Ohio Revised Code § 4925.09.
Uninsured & underinsured motorist coverage
Liability insurance protects against claims made because an insured driver caused an accident. Uninsured motorist coverage addresses injuries caused by a driver with no applicable liability coverage. Underinsured motorist coverage addresses a responsible driver whose available liability insurance is lower than the injured insured’s applicable underinsured-motorist limits.
Ohio’s rule is straightforward: an auto policy may, but is not required to, include uninsured motorist coverage, underinsured motorist coverage, or both. Ohio Revised Code § 3937.18(A).
Because the coverage is optional, Ohio does not impose a mandatory UM/UIM limit, a mandatory offer, or a statutory signed-rejection procedure comparable to states where UM/UIM is included unless formally rejected.
Uber
Uber’s current Ohio certificate expressly shows:
- Waiting for a request: $50,000 bodily injury per person / $100,000 per accident / $25,000 property damage.
- Accepted ride through the passenger period: $1,000,000 combined single limit.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: not included.
See the Uber Ohio Certificate of Insurance, effective March 1, 2026–March 1, 2027.
Lyft
Lyft’s current Ohio certificate shows:
- Waiting for a request: $50,000 bodily injury per person / $100,000 per accident / $25,000 property damage.
- Accepted-ride liability: $1,000,000 combined single limit.
- Contingent comprehensive/collision: subject to a $2,500 deductible, with payment limited to actual cash value or repair cost as described in the certificate.
The certificate does not identify an uninsured or underinsured motorist limit. Because Ohio law does not require that coverage, the absence of a UM/UIM entry on the public certificate is not enough to establish whether Lyft’s full Ohio policy contains, excludes, or otherwise addresses UM/UIM. The underlying policy and applicable Ohio endorsement in force on the accident date would be needed to answer that conclusively. Lyft Ohio Certificate of Liability Insurance.
A passenger or driver may also have personal UM/UIM coverage of their own, but it must be checked rather than assumed. Ohio does not require personal auto insurers to include it, and Ohio separately permits personal policies to exclude coverage during TNC activity.
Building the claim
Ohio law gives app-status records unusual importance in the insurance investigation.
After an accident, the TNC driver must provide the required insurance information and disclose whether they were logged into the company’s digital network or providing TNC services at the time. In a coverage investigation, the TNC and the relevant insurers must cooperate and exchange, at minimum, the precise log-on and log-off times during the 12 hours before and the 12 hours after the loss, together with descriptions of applicable coverage, exclusions, and limits. Ohio Revised Code §§ 3942.02(D) and 3942.03(D).
Useful evidence includes:
- The trip receipt.
- The trip ID.
- Request and acceptance timestamps.
- Pickup and drop-off data.
- The driver’s precise app log-on and log-off records.
- App screenshots and trip-history screenshots.
- The police accident report.
- Insurance information for every driver involved.
- The rideshare driver’s personal auto policy, including rideshare endorsements or exclusions.
- The Uber or Lyft claim number.
- Communications with Uber, Lyft, and the insurers.
- The TNC certificate, full policy, and relevant endorsements in effect on the accident date.
- Any personal uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage that might apply.