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Taipei’s public bike-sharing operator YouBike will provide liability insurance coverage for users, according to Taiwan’s Non-Life Insurance Association (NLIA).
The NLIA said that the insurance will be underwritten by Cathay Century Insurance and will take effect on June 01 and last until the end of the year, covering the estimated 13,000 users of the YouBike service in Taipei.
The insurance policy has a sum insured of NTD2 million (US$67,300) per user and will cover expenses in case the user is liable for an accident that causes injury or death. The premium will be paid for by the Taipei City government, with no extra charge to riders, Focus Taiwan reported.
NILA highlighted the fact that the insurance policy will cover those riding a Taipei City YouBike, regardless of where the accident happens.
Other jurisdictions with YouBike operations, such as New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu City, Taichung City, and Changhua County, are also expected to roll out their own free bike-sharing insurance policies.
A Taipei City councillor earlier expressed doubts about the safety and insurance of bike-sharing systems, while government units have complained about misplaced and abandoned bikes being a nuisance to the public.
