Autoplan Insurance
Insurance and licensing requirements for ride-hailing
If you’d like to drive your vehicle for a ride-hailing service such as Uber or Lyft, here’s what you need to know about insurance and driver licensing.
Illegal Ride Hailing services
Please use caution when selecting a ride hailing company as a driver and as a passenger. Illegal services may not have the required insurance to protect passengers in the event of a crash.
Looking to become a driver?
Basic insurance must be provided by the ride hailing company, which can only be obtained if the company is approved by the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB).
Drivers must meet specific requirements as set by the PTB.
Your broker can verify whether the ride hailing company is licenced and has insurance in place.
What is a ride-hailing service?
Also known as transportation network services (TNS), ride-hailing companies connect drivers with paying passengers through the use of an online platform or app.
Ride-hailing companies can apply to the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) for a TNS licence to operate in B.C. Optional ICBC insurance products for ride-hailing are now available.
What are the requirements to drive for a ride-hailing company?
The ride-hailing company is responsible for ensuring drivers and vehicles meet PTB requirements, as set out in government regulations. These include:
a Class 1, Class 2 or Class 4 commercial driver's licence issued in B.C.
a police record check
a vehicle that meets all requirements and has passed a vehicle inspection
a commercial driving record, commonly known as an (N) print or National Safety Code abstract, which you can request online or by phone at 1-800-663-3051 or 604-661-2800
Find out more about Class 4 licences:
Insurance
Basic insurance coverage
ICBC will sell a blanket insurance certificate to the ride-hailing company, not individual drivers, which provides the Basic insurance during ride-hailing use. This blanket Basic coverage is mandatory for ride-hailing companies and provides coverage for Enhanced Accident Benefits, Basic Vehicle Damage Coverage, and up to $1,000,000 third party liability.This means you and your passengers will be covered by the ride-hailing company’s Basic insurance when you have accepted a trip via the app, when you are en route to pick up the passenger(s), or transporting the passenger(s).
Optional Blanket coverage
Optional coverage, such as Collision and Comprehensive, is available to provide coverage when offering ride-hailing services. Ride-hailing companies may purchase a blanket Optional policy that would apply to its drivers. You should check with the ride-hailing company whether they have any blanket Optional coverage.
If the ride-hailing company has not purchased any blanket Optional coverage or their blanket Optional coverage is lower than your personal coverage, you may be able to add Optional coverages to cover you during ride-hailing use. Talk to your Autoplan broker for more information as exclusions may apply to your personal optional coverage during ride-hailing use.
What to bring to your broker
When you visit your Autoplan broker, make sure you know:
which ride-hailing service(s) you will drive for
what insurance the ride-hailing service(s) holds
how many total days per month you plan to use your vehicle for ride-hailing services – up to 6 days or over 6 days per month (for all ride-hailing services combined).
You do not need to provide your vehicle inspection, criminal record check or your Class 4 driver's licence to the broker, as these will be provided to and validated by the ride-hailing company.
More information
Find out more on the B.C. government website:
