The Uber wars move from Portland City Hall to the State Capitol

Kari Chisholm

Just two weeks after starting operations in Portland (and already hitting 500 drivers), Uber is crying that legislation pending in Salem would make it "impossible" for them to operate.

From Willamette Week:

"Please tell the state leaders to stop holding Oregon back," the [Uber] site says, "and support community and consumer choice by saying no to legislation that would make it impossible for Uber to continue operations."

HB 2995 and HB 2237 would require Uber (and Lyft) to provide insurance for drivers that are on their way to pick up a passenger -- not just when they're carrying a passenger. After all, the insurance companies consider that trip a work trip, not a personal one, so they're unlikely to provide coverage on a personal policy.

Now, I've used Uber outside of Portland. And it's easy and convenient.

But I'd hate to think that if an Uber driver hit someone while they were racing to pick me up, the victim could get caught in a no-man's-land of insurance coverage -- with the personal insurance company and the Uber insurance company both claiming "not it" for the coverage.

Legislators should clarify exactly when and which insurance company is responsible for coverage.

By Kari Chisholm May 12, 2015