A rideshare passenger and driver may agree to end an app-based trip and continue traveling offline, perhaps to avoid extra charges or change a destination.
If an accident occurs in Louisiana, a passenger may still pursue compensation. However, the offline arrangement can create a dispute over which insurance policy must cover their losses.
Does going offline end rideshare coverage?
Louisiana law states that a prearranged ride is transportation that begins when a driver accepts an app request and ends when the final requesting passenger leaves the vehicle. Therefore, simply switching off the app while the passenger remains inside may not automatically end the original ride.
During a prearranged trip, Louisiana requires at least $1 million in automobile liability coverage for bodily injury, death and property damage. The driver’s insurance or rideshare company may provide this policy.
However, the situation becomes less certain if the driver formally ended the trip in the app and made a separate private agreement with the passenger. The rideshare company may argue that its commercial coverage ended when the recorded trip stopped. Meanwhile, the driver’s personal insurer could deny coverage under an exclusion for transporting passengers for payment.
Agreeing to travel offline does not excuse careless driving or automatically prevent an injured passenger from making a claim. Louisiana law also makes advance agreements limiting responsibility for bodily injury between rideshare drivers and passengers unenforceable.
The exact time the trip ended in the app may become important evidence. Louisiana requires rideshare drivers involved in accidents to disclose whether they were logged into the platform or completing a prearranged ride.
If you are an injured passenger, you should report the collision to the rideshare company, but avoid accepting a quick settlement before the available policies are identified. A legal representative can examine the app records, private agreement and insurance exclusions to determine which parties may be financially responsible for the harm you’ve suffered.