Hacker News Reader

Comment by tantalor | Hacker News Reader

> does not account for down time, it does not account for insurance, car depreciation etc

Most jobs have those costs. You need a car to get to work; you pay for gas, insurance, tolls, etc. Time is wasted during transit/commute.

Are drivers special in this respect?

View on HN

Yes, insurance rates for ride share cars is higher because it's a commercial vehicle. And yes, most people commute an hour or 2 each day, not rack up hundreds of miles for 8+ hours a day. So yeah, the cost is not comparable.

> Yes, insurance rates for ride share cars is higher because it's a commercial vehicle.

Do Uber/Lyft drivers typically make their activities known to their insurance companies?

If they want cover in the event of an accident they do.

State Farm had a warning in their recent mailer for policy renewals that you are not covered under your auto policy for any ridesharing activities, although you could purchase a rider to insure you at additional cost.

Also, if you say 12 or 24 thousand miles a year and get into an accident with widely unexpected mileage on your car, they will suspect something is amiss and likely investigate.

State Farm also obtains your mileage data from "third party providers".

https://splinternews.com/how-car-insurance-companies-spy-on-...

> Do Uber/Lyft drivers typically make their activities known to their insurance companies?

Maybe not, but if they do there is substantial legal risk (not just for accident liability—for which they will be uninsured—but also for the legal consequences of driving without legally mandated insurance coverage.)

From a sample of 10, 8 were using private insurance and planning to lie in the event of an accident.

I have no way to know if this is at all represebtative. Moat expressed the rates were so high as to prevent any but full time drivers (40+ hours/week) from profiting with it.

I am certian Uber knows, as they choose not to verify this.

I assume they mean the extra costs in those areas due to driving, for example, driving for Uber will cause you to use your car much more, which can wear your car down faster.

No you don't. I have never used a car to get to work. Most people I know do not drive to work.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com