Uber takes to the water in Miami

They don't exactly have the best of weather forecast for their debut.

You would think they're encountering enough trouble on the car side to not want to jump into water transportation right now.

Yes, the forecast has improved greatly.

Whose boats? What boats? What competence at the wheel? What insurance? Should be interesting.

Read the article, it states The Miami Water Taxi. The "should" have the proper insurance and a licensed Captain.

Uber pulls marketing/data gathering stunts like this sometimes --- they delivered Ice Cream here in LA for a week a while back.

Well, Uber's reached their peak and now the troubles are surfacing.

CaptJ. I read the article and can find no reference to insurance. Insurance and the general subject of legal liability has been the boil on Uber's back side from the get go. Am I to infer from the article that Miami Water Taxi is providing cover? I don't know that to be a fact. Based on Uber's history I would like to have the insurance coverage subject nailed down. CaptJ, maybe you can help as the article does not.
I am a very regular user of Uber and love it. However, to one degree or an other I know I am taking some risk.

I'm guessing it's being done under Miami Water Taxi's license. Uber made a huge hit with a new concept, but like so many new concepts, the cracks are starting to show. They have a few customer suits, like one in Texas where they failed to check the background of a driver, who then raped a passenger. Then they've had a bit of driver rebellion over trying to force drivers to accept lower paying requests as well. They back off of that one. Ultimately it's looking like it's a decent part time job and income supplement for drivers but not a good way to make a living. Perhaps they'll modify things and improve that. I believe they will definitely lose the Texas suit, so probably settle in advance, since they did not live up to their agreement and license.

I'm just going by what the article states. Miami water taxi has insurance for carrying paying passengers.

I would be as surprised as you if MWT did not have insurance. However, after over forty years as underwriter, agent, broker and insurance consultant I am always at least a bit cautious if not a bit of a cynic when it comes to dealing with gunslingers like those leading Uber. Worst case would be Uber depending on MWT's underwriter extending cover to their ( MWT's and or Uber's) poorly vetted Captains and boats without clearly stated conditions offered and accepted and signed in blood. Here I must repeat "I am a very regular user of Uber and love it."

Keep in mind that Uber prides itself on being a "platform", not a "service provider". Which means they keep insisting it's a problem of actual service providers to have all the necessary paperwork, insurance etc.
For the obvious BS it is (a contractor/agregator + subcontractors business scheme is ages old and up until recently wasn't absolving the contractor/agregator part of liabilities , it holds up surprisingly long and well.