Caught up in a riot? Uber can charge you up to $250 for damage to their cars
pando.com
pando.com
According to the passenger, the cyclist rammed into the car's open door because the driver was rushing to get the passenger out of the car before a traffic light changed.
Note that in most jurisdictions it's the responsibility of the person getting out of the car to avoid hitting cyclists; being "doored" like this by careless drivers/passengers is a common cause of death of cyclists in cities.
The Uber driver is lucky his passenger didn't kill the cyclist; it might have gotten a lot more expensive than a $250 deductible on his insurance, especially if he admits that he "was rushing to get the passenger out of the car before a traffic light changed."
There's a couple of things which are relevant :
1. It seems unclear if it was the driver who had opened the door to rush the passenger out at a set of lights (not sure of the SF rules on that, but in various European countries, the police can ticket drivers for that alone - traffic lights are not a legal spot for passenger entry or exit).
2. The picture of the supposed damage shows a very minor scratch in the trim. Something more akin to normal wear and tear. The $1,600 bill for that supposed damage seems like a lot of bill padding.
In fact, it sounds like a scam by the driver to me and the uber customer is stuck with a $250 bill and no way to dispute it or the facts involved in the case.
Normally, for insurance, if you have to pay out, you get salvage rights on the replaced part. The best course would be for the customer to claim the supposed replaced door as salvage and then try to sell it on eBay (I'm sure some publicity will help get a good price). It also makes sure this supposed replaced door is really replaced.