&gt; Background checks are a canard. How do the cab companies check the background of someone from Uzbekistan?<p>In other words, &quot;Hey, Uber hires known felons and its okay because I can think of a scenario where background checks fail.&quot;<p>By that logic, stop visiting the doctor, using seat belts, or any safety device known to man because it can fail for some non-0 fraction of the time.<p>&gt; U&#x2F;L do carry insurance for their drivers when they&#x27;re driving a passenger, and it&#x27;s probably more than the regular cab companies carry (which is why SF Yellow cab is going bankrupt: they weren&#x27;t insured for enough for one of their incompetent drivers, according to the article)<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.propertycasualty360.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;02&#x2F;09&#x2F;uh-ohuber-has-some-coverage-issues" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.propertycasualty360.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;02&#x2F;09&#x2F;uh-ohuber-has-...</a><p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.buzzfeed.com&#x2F;kenbensinger&#x2F;ubers-yawning-insurance-gap#.edxlxR64w" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.buzzfeed.com&#x2F;kenbensinger&#x2F;ubers-yawning-insurance...</a><p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.forbes.com&#x2F;sites&#x2F;harrycampbell&#x2F;2015&#x2F;10&#x2F;07&#x2F;why-are-so-many-las-vegas-uber-drivers-lying-to-their-insurance-companies&#x2F;2&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.forbes.com&#x2F;sites&#x2F;harrycampbell&#x2F;2015&#x2F;10&#x2F;07&#x2F;why-are...</a><p>&gt; Drivers can answer no and effectively lie to their insurance company (while also committing insurance fraud) but still receive coverage, or they can say yes and they would be immediately denied coverage.  Additionally, they could even be dropped from their policy for disclosing that they are a rideshare driver.<p>&gt; Since it’s not really in Uber’s best interest to disclose the lack of collision coverage during Period 1, many drivers don’t discover that they’re not covered until it’s too late.  I’ve been researching rideshare insurance options in Nevada since Uber went live and spoken with hundreds of Uber drivers yet we haven’t been able to find a single insurance carrier willing to insure rideshare drivers.  Some carriers offer a commercial policy but the cost is prohibitive at $3,000-$5,000 a year.<p>&gt; Meanwhile, risk-averse insurance companies have been excruciatingly slow to adapt to this new and innovative form of transportation.  I maintain an up to date list of insurance options by state for Uber drivers on my site and you’ll notice that Nevada is not currently on that list.  There literally isn’t a single option for drivers which unfortunately is somewhat typical.  A majority of states in the US still don’t offer a rideshare friendly personal insurance or hybrid policy for Uber drivers which means a whole lot of drivers are forced to lie to their insurance carriers or find a different line of work.<p>There are some pretty significant gaps in that coverage that shift the burden to drivers, depending on the state.<p>In fact there is an entire business built around the fact there are massive holes in that policy:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.metromile.com&#x2F;uber&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.metromile.com&#x2F;uber&#x2F;</a><p>&gt; Traditional auto insurance policies may not provide clear coverage for drivers who participate in ridesharing programs. The partnership between Uber and Metromile means you’re insured 24&#x2F;7, whether you’re using your car for personal use or driving with Uber. Now, Metromile offers complete clarity to Uber driver partners.<p>The difference with Uber is the driver gets fucked instead of the Taxi&#x2F;Uber company.<p>&gt; As for health insurance, from what I&#x27;ve read a lot of cab drivers aren&#x27;t full-time employees either, so they also don&#x27;t get health insurance, or benefits.<p>I&#x27;m not even going to bother with this one. I&#x27;ve pointed out enough holes already.