For rideshare passengers, one fact changes the entire insurance picture: under Arizona's transportation network company statute, the highest coverage tier applies precisely when a passenger is in the vehicle.
The $1,000,000 minimum when a passenger is aboard
A.R.S. § 28-4038 sets the financial responsibility requirements for transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft. While a driver is providing transportation network services, the driver or the company (or both) must maintain primary commercial motor vehicle liability insurance of at least $250,000 per incident — and that minimum rises to $1,000,000 per incident when a passenger is occupying the vehicle.
In other words, if you were a passenger on an active ride when the crash happened, Arizona law required at least $1 million in primary commercial liability coverage to be in place for that trip.
Commercial uninsured motorist coverage adds a second layer
The same statute requires primary commercial uninsured motorist coverage during transportation network services — at minimum $25,000 per person and $75,000 per incident, or the state's minimum liability limits under § 28-4009, whichever is greater. This layer matters when the crash was caused by a different driver who has no insurance or cannot be identified. As a passenger, you did nothing but ride — and the statute contemplates coverage even when the at-fault party is someone other than your rideshare driver.
Your own auto policy's UM/UIM coverage, if you carry it, can also be part of the picture in some situations, depending on the policy's terms.
Driver status is established from the app's own records
Because the required coverage changes with the driver's status, the moment of the crash matters. The statute addresses this directly: in a claims coverage investigation, TNCs and their insurers must cooperate in exchanging information, including the precise times the driver logged on and off the app in the twenty-four hours before the accident. For a passenger on a booked ride, the trip record itself generally establishes that the highest tier applies.
Practical notes for injured passengers
- The trip receipt, ride confirmation, and app records document that you were a passenger on an active ride — records worth keeping.
- More than one policy can be involved in a single crash (the TNC's commercial policy, another driver's liability policy, UM layers), and sorting out which applies is a normal part of these claims.
- Arizona's general statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years under A.R.S. § 12-542, and policies can carry their own notice requirements.
Rideshare passengers occupy the most protected position in Arizona's TNC insurance framework. Knowing that the $1,000,000 tier attaches to your ride is a useful starting point for understanding what coverage may be available.
This article is general legal information, not legal advice. Specific claims turn on the facts and policy language involved.