A New Way to Travel!

A Segway is a battery powered electric vehicle.  Divvy is a bike share program in Chicago. Bird and Lime are electronic scooters.  What do all these things have in common? They are alternative modes of transportation, now being used by many travelers. Does your corporate travel policy encompass these new alternatives to the traditional forms of getting from point A to point B? Or does your travel policy exclude the use of such vehicles or not address them altogether?

“Rented scooters are now in more than 100 cities in the United States and Europe, and similar stories are playing out nearly everywhere.” –NY TIMES

The New York Times also warns, “Despite the dangers, scooters continue to grow in popularity, part of what is being hailed as the “micro-mobility revolution.” Start-up companies like Bird and Lime are raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in investment capital, and ride-sharing veterans Uber and Lyft have entered the skyrocketing market.

Does your company’s comprehensive insurance and risk management program cover employees using alternative modes of transportation while on a business trip?  Besides the most recent types of transportation providers to enter the marketplace, remember to consider travelers that may use unique types of transport around the world.  Do international travelers use Gondolas in Venice, Aerial Tramways in Switzerland or a Tuk Tuk in Thailand to go to a meeting or dinner, perhaps, while on company business?  A survey of travelers to learn more about how they get around in both domestic and foreign locales could be quite eye opening.

According to World Aware, “From a risk perspective, personnel are already at high risk of death or injury riding in an automobile and as a pedestrian. The risk increases on 2-wheel vehicles and many insurance policies exclude coverage. The market is already reporting injuries and one reported death as a result of an e-scooter accident.”

”Check your insurance policies to determine whether you are covered. Automobile insurance generally omits liability coverage for motor vehicles with fewer than four wheels, and it’s unlikely to apply to scooter rentals. Although most homeowners policies provide some liability coverage even while you are away from your residence, it may be limited or excluded because the scooter is a rental.”

“Our position is that organizations should not be supporting personnel to use 2-wheel transportation on public roadways.”

As new modes of transportation continue to become more popular and mainstream, organizations’ policies and programs will evolve.  Are you ready?