QBE has joined forces with insurance broker Gallagher to launch pay-as-you-go (PAYG) mileage-based motor fleet insurance for the coach market.
Launching on 1 February 2022 and aimed at coach operators with fleets of more than 10 vehicles, businesses can ensure their insurance premiums are accurately tailored to vehicle usage patterns.
Customers will be required to share their historical telematics data relating to vehicle usage and mileage, on which an initial premium will be calculated. An in-vehicle telematics device will then monitor the movement or location of vehicle through a GPS system, providing pinpoint accuracy about vehicle mileage and use. Adjusted premiums will then be calculated based on actual usage.
Going forward, flexible telematics-based pricing could consider operating schedules and routes taken - looking at traffic density, exposure to accident hot spots and weather - and eventually individual driver behaviour.
QBE is one of the largest providers of motor insurance to the passenger transport sector, and a member of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) and will be working exclusively with Gallagher, the largest broker to the passenger transport sector and commercial partner to the CPT, offering insurance and risk management solutions to coach operators of all sizes.
Daniel King, Motor Portfolio Manager for London & Southeast, QBE, said: “This is a first step in the viability of a flexible, telematics-based pricing model for a part of the transport sector that has been hard hit by the pandemic. Although restrictions have lifted, it’s unlikely coach operators in the UK will revert to pre-pandemic mileage levels for quite some time. This is our way of continuing to support the sector. We also recognise that data from sources such as telematics will drive the way we price business and understand our exposure for years to come.
QBE has been underwriting passenger transport vehicles for over 50 years and there is definitely scope for alternative pricing models. Data will play a central role in supplementing conventional pricing approaches with more flexible methods, but we need to find the right balance to ensure new solutions are straight-forward and actually respond to our customers’ needs.”
Phil White, Transportation Practice Leader, Gallagher, said: “Like many industries, the passenger transport sector has endured a challenging period since the start of the pandemic. Over the last two years, we’ve worked closely with clients to support them through these unprecedented times - from helping them to understand, identify and manage any changes to their risk exposure as a result of rapidly changing restrictions, and arranging insurance solutions accordingly.
“Our partnership with QBE marks a milestone in our support for clients in the sector - offering both flexibility and transparency when it comes to their insurance. This new product gives us the ability to collect real-time data to create accurate risk profiles for our coach customers.”
Throughout the pandemic, QBE has worked closely with brokers, industry trade bodies including the CPT, and customers to provide support. By August 2020, QBE gave back over £10 million to motor fleet customers affected by lockdown.
<ends>
For further information contact:
Sandra Villanueva, Corporate Communications, QBE, 020 7105 5284, Sandra.Villanueva@uk.qbe.com
Alexis Burris, Corporate Communications, QBE, 020 3465 3921, Alexis.Burris@uk.qbe.com
About QBE
QBE helps businesses build resilience through risk management and insurance.
QBE European Operations is part of QBE Insurance Group, one of the world’s leading international insurers and reinsurers and Standard & Poor’s A+ rated. Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, QBE’s gross written premium for the year ended 31 December 2020 was US$14.7 billion.
As a business insurance specialist, QBE European Operations offers a range of insurance products from the standard suite of property, casualty and motor to the specialist financial lines, marine and energy. All are tailored to the individual needs of our small, medium and large customer base.
We understand the crucial role that effective risk management plays in all organisations and work hard to understand our customers’ businesses so that we offer insurance solutions that meet their needs – from complex programmes to simpler e-trading solutions – and support them in minimising their risk exposures. Our expert risk management and rehabilitation practitioners focus on helping customers improve their risk management so that they may benefit from a reduction in claims frequency and costs.
About Gallagher
Gallagher is the brand name of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG) — the global insurance broker, risk management services and consulting firm headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.
In the UK, Gallagher has more than 6,000 employees specialising in risk management, and insurance solutions, for corporate, commercial and personal customers. Through a regional network of branches based in communities across the UK, and its specialty London market operations, Gallagher offers tailored insurance programmes and coverage for both UK and international clients.
It is also one of the UK’s leading employee benefit and reward, employee communication and financial planning consultancies and is dedicated to providing local service and support to businesses, backed up by national industry specialism and global reach.
With operations in 68 countries, Gallagher offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.
For further information, please visit www.ajg.com/uk