OneBeacon pilots UBI coverage for Uber drivers up to $1m
OneBeacon Insurance has launched a pilot of usage-based insurance coverage for Uber carshare drivers, in what it calls a "first-of-its-kind" product. Underwritten by Atlantic Specialty Insurance and covering drivers for up to $1m, the pilot is being rolled out in eight states across the US and will be expanded later in the summer, according to a OneBeacon spokesperson. The product was designed in collaboration with Aon.
An arm of OneBeacon Insurance Group is piloting usage-based driver injury protection insurance for Uber rideshare drivers.

The new policy, from OneBeacon Accident and Health, has an initial rollout in eight states: Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and West Virginia. Atlantic Specialty Insurance Company is underwriting the coverage. A broader rollout of the occupational accident product is coming later in the summer, OneBeacon spokesperson Carmen Duarte said via email.

OneBeacon is billing the coverage as a “first-of-its-kind” product that will offer up to $1 million in benefits for covered expenses. The insurer developed it with both Uber and Aon. Customers pay the coverage based on usage, instead of traditional monthly premiums, reflecting a per mile rate of $0.0375.

Uber isn’t only working with OneBeacon to insure its drivers. In April 2016, for example, the company disclosed a plan to use Progressive Insurance policies to cover drivers in Texas, a bid to diversify its U.S. insurance purchasing. Until that point, James River Insurance Company, a unit of James River Group Holdings, has been covering drivers for its primary ride hailing services.

Separately, online insurance comparison shopping platform CoverHound announced recently it will offer auto insurance quotes to drivers of rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft. Represented insurers include Safeco, Progressive, Mercury, Foremost, State Auto, CSE, Kemper and National General.

In a statement, Lori Cernera, president of OneBeacon Accident and Health, said the insurer was “excited to be on the forefront of serving the sharing and on-demand economy’s unique needs.”

Duarte told Carrier Management that the insurance reflects OneBeacon’s “first sharing economy opportunity but we look forward to future opportunities.”

Earlier in May, Canadian property/casualty insurer Intact Financial Corp. announced plans to acquire OneBeacon from White Mountains Insurance Group for $1.7 billion.

Source: OneBeacon