A typical TLC liability policy only covers property damage to other vehicles involved in an accident. If there is an accident and there is damage to your vehicle, you would not have any coverage to repair the vehicle unless your policy has collision (sometimes referred to as “full coverage”). We also sell a combined policy that covers collision, as well as fire and theft to your vehicle. Please contact us the team for more info.

Supplemental uninsured/underinsured coverage adds additional protection to the uninsured coverage and is an optional coverage.

Uninsured motorist coverage protects you in case there is an accident involving an uninsured vehicle (you will be surprised how often this happens!). The minimum limits of coverage in New York State are $25,000/$50,000. This means the insurance carrier will pay a maximum of $25,000 for any one person or a maximum of $50,000 for two or more people.

Property Damage (PD) liability covers claims as a result of damage to others’ property (such as a vehicle). The coverage includes legal defense for you as a result of a lawsuit. The minimum limits of Property Damage liability mandated by the TLC are $10,000. This means that the insurance carrier will pay up to $10,000 for any property damage claim as a result of an accident. Always check your policy for exact language of coverage and limits to ensure accuracy.

Bodily Injury (BI) liability covers bodily injury claims from other parties as a result of an accident caused by your automobile. The coverage also includes legal defense for you as a result of a lawsuit. The minimum limits of Bodily Injury liability mandated by the TLC are $100,000/$300,000 – this means that the insurance carrier will pay up to $100,000 for any one person injured in an accident and up to $300,000 for two or more people injured in an accident. Always check your policy for exact language of coverage and limits to ensure accuracy.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP), sometimes referred to as “No Fault” is coverage provided on a standard auto liability policy that covers medical expenses, lost earnings and other related expenses for drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Please note that drivers for TLC vehicles may be ineligible for this coverage. Drivers affiliated with Black Car Bases (such as Uber, Lyft, etc) are typically covered under the Black Car Fund, see here for more information. Drivers affiliated with a Car Service/Livery Base (most Green Taxis) are typically covered under the Independent Livery Driver Benefit Fund (ILDBF) – see here for more information. These funds provide similar, but not exact coverage as PIP. Make sure you review your base’s membership, coverage, exclusions and terms. For the most comprehensive driver coverage, you may want to consider workers compensation insurance. Feel free to contact us for more information.

There are various exclusions on a liability only policy that should be reviewed, however, one that many drivers may find surprising is that there is no collision coverage. This means if you get into an accident and need to repair your vehicle, you will need to pay out of pocket for these expenses. We recommend that you purchase a collision policy to cover these types of claims – you can contact us for more information. If you get into an accident (see here for a guide) and you were not at fault, you can typically file a third party property damage claim against the at fault party.

The minimum requirements for registering a TLC vehicle include liability coverage, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and uninsured motorists coverage (UM) – the combination of these coverages are typically referred to as a liability policy. This type of a policy will cover you (the insured) against claims and lawsuits for bodily injury and property damage to others up to the limits on your policy. There is also coverage for medical expenses, lost earnings and other related expenses for drivers, passengers or pedestrian under Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage. This is a summary only, the actual policy should be reviewed for details on any coverages, limits or exclusions.