If you\u2019ve been a reader of the news you\u2019ve probably heard of Uber.\u00a0 Uber is an app \u2013 and a company of the same name \u2013 that allows customers to connect with another person in order to get a ride to their destination for in exchange for payment.\u00a0 It smooths the commercial process by removing the need for cash (all rides are paid via Uber\u2019s credit card system) and making it easier for normal people to make a little extra money on the side by driving other people around.\u00a0 Uber\u2019s biggest plus is the convenience of likely having a driver in your neighbourhood and the fact that the prices are often lower than competing cab drivers.\u00a0 Sounds pretty good right?\u00a0 Maybe.\u00a0 There are some issues about Uber that you should be aware of before taking a ride or signing up to drive.<\/p>\n
What is Uber\u2019s Legal Standing?<\/strong><\/p>\n Taxis, as well as buses, or every other form of paid transportation fall under \u2018common carrier\u2019 law. \u00a0What that means is they legally have a greater duty and assume a greater responsibility for the safety of their passengers than, say, your neighbour giving you a lift to the supermarket.\u00a0 Uber has fought against being classified a \u2018common carrier\u2019 and asserts that their app is built for \u2018ride-sharing\u2019 not as an option for professional transportation.\u00a0 This has aggravated the taxi industry, which requires special licensing and additional fees in order to operate as a business in certain municipalities.<\/p>\n Recourse for Injury<\/strong><\/p>\n So what happens if you\u2019re hurt in an Uber vehicle?\u00a0 If it\u2019s the fault of a driver in another vehicle the outcome would be the same as if you were in your own car \u2013 they would be held liable and you would be recompensed by insurance.\u00a0 Things get murkier if it\u2019s the Uber driver\u2019s fault however.\u00a0 While it would normally be covered under their personal insurance, if they\u2019re operating a vehicle for profit and have not alerted their insurance company to that fact they may have their claim denied. \u00a0Uber has publicly stated that any insurance claims not covered by personal insurance would be covered by them though the exact nature of that agreement is not widely known.<\/p>\n Regardless of what insurance is covering the driver your rights to compensation remain the same as they would in any other vehicle.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve been hurt in an Uber vehicle or with any other motor vehicle you may need an experienced personal injury lawyer.\u00a0 Call Conte & Associates at 1-877-614-0008. Based in Vaughan and Whitby, Conte & Associates works with clients in Whitby\/Oshawa, and in the following cities in Ontario: Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering, Clarington, Newcastle, Courtice, Bowmanville, Newcastle, Port Perry, Belleville, and Peterborough.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019ve been a reader of the news you\u2019ve probably heard of Uber.\u00a0 Uber is an app \u2013 and a company of the same name \u2013 that allows customers to connect with another person in order to get a ride to their destination for in exchange for payment.\u00a0 It smooths the commercial process by removing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[269,270,271],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/contelawyers.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6441"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/contelawyers.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/contelawyers.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contelawyers.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contelawyers.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/contelawyers.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contelawyers.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/contelawyers.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contelawyers.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contelawyers.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}