As an owner of a sedan company, I was dismayed by your article on hackers (“Food vs the law,” Sept. 15).

The managers of the grocery stores where hackers are operating as “courtesy drivers” either do not know or are ignoring their potential liability. Hackers operate illegally in part because they do not want to pay for commercial auto insurance as required by state law. (The Maryland Auto Insurance Fund, which provides coverage for many sedans and taxis, currently has a base rate of about $4,000 annually for such vehicles operating in Baltimore City.) The hackers have personal auto insurance and operate without the knowledge of their insurance company. However, if the driver has an accident and the insurance company learns that they were working as a for-hire driver at the time, it is a near certainty that the insurance company will deny all claims arising from the accident.

Also, the article seems to suggest that hackers only operate in areas not served by legal companies. On the contrary, hackers operate all over the metropolitan area. Because they are not paying, among other things, the hefty isurance premiums that legitimate companies pay, hackers can charge much less. At many grocery stores and shopping centers, hackers steal business from drivers and companies that comply with the law. In some locations, our drivers do not want to waste their time going to the store for a pick-up because the passenger will invariably hop into a hack car with a cheaper rate.

The fact that the hackers in the article were willing to have their names, photos and locations where they work given in the newspaper shows that they feel no fear of repercussions for their activity. Hopefully, they are mistaken.

Connie Galiani, Towson

The writer is president of Towson Sedan.

Found here.