RSG139: Ed Walker on Managing Insurance for Shared Mobility Operators

In this episode, I’m chatting with Ed Walker, Micromobility and Shared Economy Practice Leader at USI Insurance Services, about the mobility industry and insurance. This is such a nascent industry, and there are a lot of opportunities to learn more. I’ll have him cover the insurance industry in the micromobility space, define some terms for us, considerations for fleet owners and TNCs, and how the market has changed since COVID hit the US. 

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Intro to Ed Walker

  • National practice leader of micromobility and shared economy at USI Insurance Services
  • Broker of commercial insurance for shared fleets
  • Helps new companies in the shared fleet space find coverage through commercial carriers
  • Huge liability in this market, expensive to provide insurance

Getting Started in the Insurance-Side of Mobility

  • Changing insurance landscape with Uber, Lyft
  • A lot of companies were willing to compete for Uber and Lyft
  • Took painful losses
  • Taking a risk on the unknown was more widely accepted than it is now

Defining Insurance Terms

  • Shared fleet operators
  • On-demand service firms
  • Covers any kind of on-demand service
  • Works with customized insurance carriers

What Do New Rideshare Companies Need?

  • Pay attention to state requirements for insurance
  • Make sure to protect your company – liability insurance
  • Need to have adequate insurance when getting started
  • Also have to consider budget constraints

Gig Economy Coverage & COVID Impact

  • A lot of relationships overlap among gig companies
  • Ridesharing and new mobility is completely different from transportation
  • Usership-based model could be a better choice for some companies
  • Expect to see a huge shift in this market

Outro

  • Big thanks to Ed for coming on the podcast and chatting about insurance!
  • When I first got into the rideshare world, I never expected to learn this much about insurance!
  • Now have worked with hundreds of agents to understand this better
  • Conversation with Ed was insurance ‘behind-the-scenes’, which was great because he knows his stuff!

Show Notes