Theo wrote:
In uk.railway Recliner wrote:
I'm not sure if this applies in the UK:

Uber requires all of their drivers to have car insurance, and provides
supplemental insurance coverage, but only while the app is on.

Here’s how it works: When the Uber app is off, a driver is covered by their
own personal car insurance. When the Uber app is turned on, a low level of
liability insurance becomes active. When a trip is accepted, a higher level
of coverage kicks in and remains active until the passenger exits the
vehicle. Previously Uber had only offered coverage when a passenger was in
the car, but the company updated their policy after a series of accidents
which resulted in various lawsuits.

I suspect, but don't know, that insurance companies won't see it that way.
For instance, you get a job that takes you a long way from home and then you
'clock off'. I suspect the insurance company would not count the return
journey as 'commuting', because that journey was generated by the job that
you picked up, even if you're not technically working at that point.
Typically insurance policies define it as 'commuting to a single place of
work', which this isn't. I don't know if the deadheading parts are
acceptable as business miles on conventional insurance policies.

In the employees-not-contractors case, the judge allowed the time from
turning on the app to getting a job as working time for hours calculations,
but not the time to commute from outside of London to the edge of the Uber
zone (I think the example was Southampton to Woking or thereabouts). I
don't think you'd get away with saying your single place of work was Greater
London.

No, Uber drivers need to have the same (expensive) private hire insurance
as any other minicab:

Quote:

Uber drivers require private hire vehicle insurance with hire and reward.
This level of cover ensures both the vehicle and passengers are covered in
the event of an accident.

http://www.staveleyhead.co.uk/commer...insurance/uber

Quote:

What kind of taxi insurance do Uber drivers need?

If you are an Uber driver then you need to have commercial taxi insurance.
A normal car insurance policy would be insufficient and is likely to be
voided in the event that you have an accident while driving for Uber.

Even if Uber doesn’t classify itself as a taxi service, and refers to its
drivers as ‘your friend with a car’, the fact is that if you are picking up
passengers for financial reward at a pre-booked location, you are
effectively a private hire taxi driver. A private hire taxi insurance
policy is therefore a legal requirement to cover your vehicle usage. And
getting the right type of insurance is down to you – not Uber.

It is particularly important that you have public liability cover as part
of your policy, as otherwise you could be liable for all compensation costs
should a passenger or a third party be injured.

While Uber and similar services remain in a grey area for now and the laws
surrounding it are likely to change in coming years, the best advice for
Uber drivers for now is to make sure that their insurance policy is
correct.

From:
http://parkinsurance.co.uk/uber-driv...axi-insurance/