Rideshare companies like Uber are becoming a commonly used option for people all over the country. It’s not just for major cities—plenty of towns and suburbs have Uber as well. With this service readily available in so many places, Uber is starting to disrupt individually bought car insurance. This monumental industry may not be so monumental in the future, because now there are options to get insurance strictly for rideshare companies.

A startup company called Sure Inc. has paired with Chubb Ltd. so they can break into this new area of the car industry. They’re selling rideshare car insurance for the costs in case the rider is involved in a car accident while they’re using a company like Uber.

There are a variety of benefits to ridesharing services like Uber. Along with providing people convenient and reliable transportation, Uber it typically cost-effective. With every pro, however, there’s a chance for a con. Before confirming your ride, it’s important to understand how Uber works, what they’re striving to provide, and what your rights are as a passenger.

Uber has provided over 5 billion rides in 633 cities all around the world. With numbers like that, there are bound to be occasional issues. They strive to make transportation safer, more accessible, and more affordable. But with news coverage on accidents, assaults, and even deaths related to their services and drivers, it’s important to recognize that there are guidelines and regulations established to provide you with the ride you deserve.

With the popularity of ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft increasing, it’s important to understand how these companies work so you can benefit from the service they provide. Media coverage has a lot to say about these companies, and not everything you hear is true. Below you’ll find some of the most common myths about Lyft and Uber, and where they fall on the true or false scale.

Myth #1: Lyft and Uber drivers don’t do perform background checks on their drivers.

Before you can drive for Lyft or Uber, they’ll want you full name, birthdate, Social Security number, driver’s license number, car insurance information, and proof that your vehicle is inspected and safe.

Both companies use this information to perform background checks; however, the checks might not be as comprehensive as they could be. Both companies use third-party screening to perform background checks. Uber uses Checkr and Lyft uses Sterling BackCheck. While both of these checks comply with state and federal standards, FBI backgrounds check may contain more information.

Rideshare companies have been facing several issues lately. There have been reported incidences of sexual assault from drivers, discrimination, the hiring and training process, and keeping records of these events. But there’s also another major issue: driver imposters.

People are posing as drivers for major rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft and scamming people by having them swipe their credit cards before they get to their destination. The people being scammed are paying much more than what they would with the regulated companies. It’s also terrifying to think they were in a car with a stranger who wasn’t verified by these companies at all.

On-demand transportation provides a simple convenience for people in need of a ride. Whether you forgot your umbrella and need a ride home from work in the rain or are going out with friends and plan on drinking, services like Lyft strive to get you from point A to point B as efficiently and safely as possible. But with national news of assaults, accidents, and even deaths while using rideshare companies, there must be more Lyft can do to protect riders.

Lyft Accidents and Incidents

In 2017, over 40 incidents were reported by riders using Lyft. These numbers are of incidents related specifically to Lyft. Uber and other ridesharing services are not included.

There were two deaths, seven alleged assaults, 13 alleged sexual assaults, two kidnappings, one report of a felon driving for Lyft, four reports of imposter drivers, and an unknown number of miscellaneous reports.