The Colorado TNC claim starts with a timeline

The statute does not use one coverage amount from login to logout. It separates the waiting period from a “prearranged ride,” and defines exactly when the latter begins and ends.

Colorado transportation network company insurance periods.
Driver status	Colorado statutory TNC framework	Key evidence
Offline / not logged in	Special § 40-10.1-604 TNC periods are not triggered; analyze ordinary applicable auto policies.	Log-off data, personal policy, trip purpose.
Logged in / available / no accepted ride	Primary auto liability of at least $50,000 / $100,000 / $30,000 under § 604(3).	Log-on time, availability status, no accepted request, operative app-on policy.
Ride accepted / en route to pickup	Prearranged ride has begun: at least $1 million primary liability per occurrence; mandatory TNC UM/UIM period also begins for the driver.	Acceptance timestamp, route/GPS, policy.
Rider in vehicle	Prearranged ride continues: $1 million liability and statutory TNC UM/UIM of at least $200,000 per person / $400,000 per occurrence.	Pickup/rider-entry, crash time, rider identity.
Rider exits / driver remains logged in	Prearranged ride ends when rider departs. If still logged in with no new accepted ride, § 604(3)'s app-on/no-ride framework resumes.	Drop-off/rider-exit time, next request, log-off time.

The statutory boundary is precise. C.R.S. § 40-10.1-602(2) says a prearranged ride begins when the driver accepts the requested ride, continues while the rider is transported, and ends when the rider leaves the vehicle.

App on but no accepted ride: $50,000 / $100,000 / $30,000 minimum liability

Colorado separately regulates the period in which the driver is logged into the TNC's digital network but has not yet accepted a ride.

One person

$50,000

Minimum bodily injury/death liability for one person in one accident.

All persons

$100,000

Minimum aggregate bodily injury/death liability for all persons in one accident.

Property damage

$30,000

Minimum property-damage liability for one accident.

This period is a common coverage trap. The personal insurer may exclude rideshare activity while the driver is logged in. Colorado therefore requires qualifying app-on coverage, but the mandatory prearranged-ride TNC UM/UIM provision is not the same as the waiting-period liability requirement.

The qualifying policy can come from more than one structure. Section 604(3) permits specified full-time coverage, an endorsement/rider to the driver's personal policy, or a corporate TNC liability policy.

Ride accepted: the $1 million primary liability period begins immediately

Do not wait for the passenger to enter the vehicle before testing the higher liability layer. In Colorado, acceptance itself starts the statutory prearranged ride.

1 Request sent

Not yet necessarily a prearranged ride.

2 Driver accepts

Prearranged ride begins.

3 En route

$1M liability period is already active.

4 Rider aboard

Ride continues; rider now physically occupies vehicle.

5 Rider exits

Statutory prearranged ride ends.

Section 40-10.1-604(2): Colorado requires primary liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence at all times the driver is engaged in a prearranged ride.

Do not let platform UI wording replace the statute. “En route,” “pickup,” “on trip,” “active ride,” and similar platform labels are useful evidence, but the Colorado statutory trigger is the accepted requested ride.

Colorado now requires TNC UM/UIM during the prearranged ride

In 2022, Colorado added a mandatory TNC layer protecting drivers and riders against damages caused by uninsured motorists under the § 10-4-609 framework.

Per person

$200,000 minimum

Mandatory TNC uninsured/underinsured-motorist protection during a prearranged ride.

Per occurrence

$400,000 minimum

Aggregate statutory TNC UM/UIM minimum for the covered occurrence.

Separate from liability

Not the $1 million liability limit

The $1 million third-party liability requirement and $200K/$400K UM/UIM requirement are different coverages.

Driver versus rider timing: the statutory prearranged ride begins at acceptance, so the TNC driver's mandatory UM/UIM period begins then. Rider coverage concerns qualifying riders in the driver's personal vehicle while that prearranged ride is underway.

Waiting-period UM/UIM requires separate analysis. Section 604(2.5)'s mandatory TNC UM/UIM applies to incidents during a prearranged ride. If a driver is merely logged in and waiting, inspect the driver's personal/rideshare endorsement and the platform policy actually in force.

A personal auto policy does not have to cover the driver merely because the car is personally owned

Colorado expressly permits the TNC system to coexist with personal-policy exclusions and endorsements.

Colorado personal automobile and transportation network company coverage issues.
Question	Colorado rule / investigation
Must ordinary personal auto cover logged-in TNC driving?	No. § 40-10.1-604(5) says nothing in the section requires personal auto coverage during logged-in TNC activity.
Must the platform warn the driver?	Yes. § 40-10.1-605 requires disclosure that personal auto might not provide liability coverage while operating on the digital network.
Can the driver buy a rideshare endorsement?	Section 604(3) expressly contemplates an endorsement/rider as one way to satisfy the app-on requirement.
Does a personal TNC exclusion automatically end the claim?	No. It may shift the search to the statutory TNC policy, owner policy, commercial policy, UM/UIM or other valid coverage.

Maxwell v. James River, 401 F. Supp. 3d 1183 (D. Colo. 2019): an Uber driver was logged in and available but had not accepted a fare. The court enforced her personal policy's TNC exclusion and found no then-existing statutory requirement for UM/UIM during that waiting period.

Maxwell predates Colorado's 2022 TNC UM/UIM amendment. It is still useful for the app-on/no-ride distinction and policy-exclusion analysis, but it cannot be cited as though Colorado still has no mandatory TNC UM/UIM during a prearranged ride.

If several policies cover the TNC loss, Colorado supplies a statutory coordination rule

This is one reason not to import another state's owner-primary or TNC-excess assumptions into a Colorado rideshare claim.

C.R.S. § 40-10.1-604(6): when more than one policy provides valid and collectible coverage for a loss involving a TNC driver, responsibility is divided pro rata among applicable policies, subject to a written agreement by all applicable insurers and policy owners modifying the allocation.

Personal endorsement

May overlap platform coverage

Identify the actual rideshare endorsement, limits and period definitions.

Platform policy

Statutory coverage layer

Obtain the certificate and complete operative liability / UM/UIM policy.

Other insurance

Owner, employer, umbrella or household

Do not stop the investigation simply because the platform acknowledges one layer.

In a rideshare crash, app timestamps are insurance evidence

The same five-minute span can cross more than one statutory coverage period. Preserve the digital chronology before records are overwritten, summarized or disputed.

Exact crash date and time.
Driver's platform account and vehicle.
App log-on timestamp.
Driver availability / online status.
Ride request timestamp.
Ride acceptance timestamp.
Pickup / rider-entry timestamp.
GPS route and location history.
Cancellation or reassignment data.
Crash / incident report submitted to platform.
Rider exit / drop-off timestamp.
Next accepted ride, if any.
App log-off timestamp.
Platform messages and support communications.
Driver screenshots and trip receipts.
Rider trip receipt and app history.
Police body-camera / crash-report timestamps.
Personal insurer claim and coverage-position letters.
Platform insurer claim and coverage-position letters.

Statutory cooperation: § 40-10.1-604(7) requires the TNC to cooperate with another insurer that also insures the driver's TNC vehicle during a claims coverage investigation, including relevant dates and times while the driver was logged into the digital network.

Do not mistake inter-insurer cooperation for complete claimant discovery. Preserve and request platform records directly and use appropriate litigation, subpoena or discovery procedures when necessary.

The driver's damaged car is a different insurance question

The statutory liability and TNC UM/UIM requirements do not automatically pay to repair the rideshare driver's own vehicle.

Collision / comprehensive

Check driver's own coverage first

Platform physical-damage protection may be contingent on the driver carrying comparable comprehensive/collision coverage personally.

Platform product

Deductibles and periods can differ

Obtain the policy in effect on the crash date rather than relying on a current website summary or another state's platform terms.

Lienholder

Payment mechanics matter

Section 604 contains specific payment-direction requirements when TNC comprehensive/collision coverage pays for a covered vehicle with a lien.

Food and parcel delivery are not automatically governed by Colorado's TNC statute

Colorado defines a TNC around a digital network connecting riders to drivers for transportation. A delivery driver may be using the same phone and personal vehicle but operating under a different statutory and insurance structure.

Colorado rideshare and delivery platform distinction.
Activity	Starting legal framework
Passenger matched to driver through qualifying TNC network	Part 6 of Article 10.1, including § 40-10.1-604 insurance periods.
Food or parcel delivery only	Do not assume Part 6 TNC insurance applies; review personal business/delivery exclusions, platform policy and Guide 14 commercial/work-use coverage.
Driver simultaneously logged into several platforms	Preserve each platform's status and policy; overlapping valid coverage may require separate priority/coordination analysis.

Existing Clean Claim doctrine: delivery and rideshare crashes require timing details: whether the app was on, whether a ride or delivery had been accepted, whether a passenger, food or package was in the vehicle, and which insurer was accepting or denying coverage. fileciteturn23file2L162-L171

Colorado TNC authority map

C.R.S. § 40-10.1-602

Who and when

Defines personal vehicle, prearranged ride, TNC, TNC driver, rider and TNC services. The accepted-ride definition controls the key coverage transition.

Current Colorado statute

C.R.S. § 40-10.1-604

Insurance architecture

Establishes the $1 million prearranged-ride liability requirement, app-on 50/100/30 coverage, $200K/$400K TNC UM/UIM, pro-rata coordination and claims-investigation cooperation.

Core current authority

C.R.S. § 40-10.1-605

Operations and driver disclosure

Requires driver qualifications, vehicle inspection, service-hour restrictions and disclosure that personal insurance may not cover TNC network activity.

Current Colorado statute

4 CCR 723-6 · Rules 6700+

PUC implementation

Current Transportation Network Company rules govern permit, financial- responsibility filing, operational and recordkeeping requirements.

Colorado PUC regulation

Maxwell v. James River · 401 F. Supp. 3d 1183 (D. Colo. 2019)

Waiting-period exclusion case

Enforced personal rideshare exclusions and found no then-existing mandatory UM/UIM in the app-on/no-fare period. Read cautiously because Colorado added mandatory prearranged-ride TNC UM/UIM in 2022.

Federal persuasive authority · pre-2022 law

HB 22-1089

2022 UM/UIM reform

Added mandatory TNC protection against uninsured motorists for drivers and riders during prearranged rides and restricted rejection of that protection.

Current statutory history

Case-law caution: reported Colorado appellate interpretation of the post-2022 TNC UM/UIM regime appears limited. The current statute, operative policies, PUC filings and ordinary Colorado insurance-contract principles should therefore be treated as the principal source set.

Primary authority map

C.R.S. § 40-10.1-602 TNC definitions / prearranged ride

Defines the accepted-ride period and the entities governed by Colorado's TNC statute.

Official 2026 CRS →

C.R.S. § 40-10.1-604 TNC liability and UM/UIM

Core coverage-period, minimum-limit, coordination and claims-cooperation statute.

Official 2026 CRS →

C.R.S. § 40-10.1-605 TNC operations / disclosures

Driver qualifications, vehicle inspections, personal-policy disclosure and service rules.

Official 2026 CRS →

C.R.S. § 10-4-609 UM/UIM framework

Colorado uninsured/underinsured-motorist statute, including the TNC rejection restriction.

Official 2026 CRS →

4 CCR 723-6 PUC Transportation Network Company rules

Rules 6700 forward govern TNC permits, insurance filings, safety and operational requirements.

Official current CCR PDF →

HB 22-1089 Mandatory TNC UM/UIM enactment

Legislative source for the 2022 addition of § 40-10.1-604(2.5).

Official enrolled act →

VictimsGuide resources supporting Guide 15

Guide 14 — Work, Employer & Commercial Vehicles Use for delivery apps, employer work, contractor driving and non-TNC commercial coverage. Guide 03 — Find Every Policy Platform insurance should be added to—not substituted for—the complete policy search. Guide 04 — UM/UIM Apply the broader Colorado UM/UIM framework after identifying the TNC-specific layer. Guide 07 — Coverage Defenses Classify rideshare, livery, delivery, business-use and other exclusions precisely. Guide 13 — Borrowed & Rental Vehicles Use when the rideshare driver does not own the vehicle or another owner policy may apply. Clean Claim System Preserve the app status, trip data, policies, denials and releases in one reviewable coverage map.

Existing VictimsGuide workflow retained: the Clean Claim module already teaches that rideshare timing can control coverage and directs citizens to preserve app records, trip data, screenshots, receipts and insurer letters rather than accepting one carrier's initial coverage story. fileciteturn23file7L422-L458

Frequently asked questions

When does Colorado's $1 million rideshare liability coverage begin?

When the driver accepts the requested ride through the TNC's digital network. The passenger does not need to be physically in the vehicle yet.

What coverage applies while the driver is logged in but waiting for a ride?

Section 40-10.1-604(3) requires qualifying primary auto liability of at least $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident and $30,000 property damage.

When does the $1 million period end?

Colorado defines the prearranged ride as ending when the rider departs the personal vehicle. If the driver remains logged in afterward, the app-on/no- accepted-ride coverage framework can resume.

Does Colorado require rideshare UM/UIM?

Yes. Since 2022, the TNC must secure at least $200,000 per person and $400,000 per occurrence in uninsured/underinsured-motorist protection for the statutory prearranged-ride period.

Is TNC UM/UIM also $1 million?

No. The $1 million figure is the minimum third-party liability requirement during a prearranged ride. The statutory TNC UM/UIM minimum is currently $200,000 per person and $400,000 per occurrence.

Does my personal auto policy have to cover me while I am logged into Uber or Lyft?

No. Colorado expressly says the TNC statute does not require a personal auto policy to provide coverage while the driver is logged into the TNC digital network. Read the policy and any rideshare endorsement.

What if both my rideshare endorsement and the platform policy cover the crash?

Section 40-10.1-604(6) contains a Colorado-specific pro-rata coordination rule for more than one valid and collectible policy, unless the relevant insurers and policy owners agree in writing to a different allocation.

Is Maxwell v. James River still good law?

It remains useful federal persuasive authority for the 2018 app-on/waiting period and policy-exclusion analysis, but it predates Colorado's 2022 amendment requiring TNC UM/UIM during prearranged rides. Do not use it to describe the current accepted-ride UM/UIM requirement.

Does Colorado's TNC statute automatically cover food-delivery drivers?

No. The TNC definition is directed to digital networks connecting riders with drivers for transportation. Food and parcel delivery require their own personal, platform, commercial and work-use coverage analysis.

What records matter most after a rideshare crash?

Preserve exact crash time, login status, request/acceptance time, pickup, route/GPS, rider exit, logoff, trip receipt, platform incident reports and every operative personal and TNC insurance policy.

Rideshare coverage worksheet

Worksheet for analyzing Colorado rideshare and transportation network company insurance.
Field	Record	Coverage question
TNC / platform	__________	Which company and digital network?
Driver / vehicle	__________	Who drove and who owned the vehicle?
Crash timestamp	__________	Exact date/time from independent evidence?
App logged in?	Yes / No	Was special TNC coverage potentially active?
Ride request received	__________	Had a request arrived?
Ride accepted	__________	Did the statutory prearranged ride begin?
Rider picked up	__________	Was rider occupying the vehicle?
Rider exited	__________	Had the prearranged ride ended?
App logged off	__________	When did TNC network activity cease?
Personal auto policy	__________	Rideshare exclusion or endorsement?
App-on policy	__________	What 50/100/30-or-greater layer applies?
Prearranged liability	__________	Identify the $1M-or-greater policy.
TNC UM/UIM	__________	Identify $200K/$400K-or-greater coverage.
Other UM/UIM	__________	Personal, household or vehicle coverage?
Multiple policies	__________	Does § 604(6) pro-rata coordination apply?
Physical damage	__________	Driver collision/comprehensive / platform contingent coverage?
Platform data preserved	Yes / No	Acceptance, GPS, pickup, exit, cancellation and logs?
Coverage positions	__________	What has each insurer accepted, reserved or denied?
Release scope	__________	Would settlement extinguish another TNC, owner or UM/UIM layer?

Closing principle: in a rideshare crash, time is coverage evidence. Reconstruct the app timeline, obtain every policy and preserve every first-party and third-party layer before release.

Continue through the Colorado library

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