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In Japan, the "Japanese version of ridesharing," in which general drivers provide transportation services to users for a fee, was partially legalized starting in April 2024. This Japanese version is characterized by the fact that services are provided under the operational management of taxi companies, limited to specific regions, seasons, and time slots. While it is strongly intended to supplement the shortage of taxi drivers, the benefits of ridesharing are not limited to solving driver shortages. For example, it is expected to contribute to securing means of transportation in so-called "transportation-poor areas," improving convenience by matching drivers with potential users via smartphone apps, reducing environmental impact, expanding income opportunities for general drivers, and improving people's health and well-being by ensuring mobility.

On the other hand, in order to promote and develop ridesharing in a healthy manner, it is necessary to build a system where users can use the service safely and securely. Within such a framework, the provision of insurance that covers ridesharing is indispensable.

There are three main characteristics of rideshare insurance compared to traditional automobile insurance. First, while the policyholder in traditional insurance is primarily an individual such as a car owner, in rideshare insurance, it is the business operator managing the operations. Second, rideshare insurance tends to be on-demand insurance (coverage only for the necessary period) or usage-based insurance (premiums paid according to risk based on data such as usage status). However, even in traditional automobile insurance, on-demand types like one-day insurance and usage-based types like telematics insurance are already becoming popular. Third, as ridesharing is integrated into mobility services like MaaS (Mobility as a Service) in the future, rideshare insurance may evolve into something like MaaS insurance, which comprehensively covers a wide variety of risks associated with the use of various means of transportation.

Following the partial legalization of ridesharing, major Japanese non-life insurance companies have begun developing and selling dedicated rideshare insurance. For example, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance are selling automobile insurance for taxi operators that meets the licensing criteria for rideshare operators (which requires voluntary insurance or mutual aid coverage of at least 80 million yen for bodily injury and 20 million yen for property damage to guarantee compensation capacity). The characteristics of this insurance are seen in the provision of coverage limited to rideshare operations (on-demand type) and rational premium payments based on the number of days the rideshare service is active (usage-based type).

Furthermore, the government has begun considering whether to allow entities other than taxi companies to enter the rideshare business, and legal systems necessary for non-taxi entities to conduct rideshare operations are being discussed.

According to the "Interim Report on Regulatory Reform Promotion" by the Council for Promotion of Regulatory Reform on December 26, 2023, the "introduction of regulations for thorough safety measures for rideshare operators" is a point of discussion. Specifically, safety measures mentioned include direct legal liability of rideshare operators toward users, verification of drivers' compulsory and voluntary automobile insurance, and the obligation of operators to manage driver operations and insurance enrollment.

In the future, it is anticipated that platform operators like Uber in the United States may enter the rideshare business in Japan. In that case, it will likely be necessary to develop dedicated rideshare insurance for operators, referencing the insurance that Uber currently carries.

According to Uber's website, the applicable insurance changes chronologically depending on the driver's status: the driver's personal auto insurance applies while offline, and the auto insurance maintained by Uber applies while waiting for a ride request, en route to pick up a passenger, or during a trip. Additionally, the insurance maintained by Uber provides bodily injury and property damage liability coverage (up to $1 million per accident during pickup and trips), as well as uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and contingent comprehensive and collision coverage up to the actual cash value of the vehicle.

In this way, dedicated insurance for rideshare operators is required to comprehensively cover bodily injury and property damage liability risks, personal injury risks for drivers and others, and vehicle damage risks, providing coverage that may be lacking in the driver's own auto insurance. Furthermore, since ridesharing involves potential cyber risks such as malfunctions in dispatch apps or cashless payments, as well as the risk of trouble between passengers and drivers during transit, the development of dedicated insurance that can address these rideshare-specific risks is expected.