Drivers for Lyft, Uber and Sidecar soon should have some new hybrid personal-commercial auto policies to bridge the much-discussed “insurance gap.”

At least five companies are exploring new products for ride-service drivers, according Chris Shultz, deputy commissioner of the California Department of Insurance. On Thursday, the department said it’s ready to accept applications to create policies to cover drivers when they turn on a smartphone app indicating they’re available to accept riders but haven’t yet received a request, a time called Period 1 in the industry.

The insurance gap happens because the ride services’ $1 million policies don’t kick in until a driver is en route to pick up a passenger (although some offer lower Period 1 coverage), while personal policies usually refuse to cover for-hire driving. A new California law, AB2293, which will take effect July 1, sets out minimum coverage for Period 1.

“We’ve opened the window (for applications) early to try to get the insurance in place sooner so the drivers and everyone else will be protected,” Shultz said.

MBA BY THE BAY: See how an MBA could change your life with SFGATE's interactive directory of Bay Area programs.

Regulators hope each policy will apply to all the ride companies, since many drivers log into two or more services to increase their chances of getting a quick match to a ride request.

“If there’s confusion about who’s responsible, it would complicate every fender-bender,” Shultz said. “We’re trying to avoid that by ensuring drivers can buy an endorsement that covers multiple services, and isn’t just exclusive with Uber, Lyft or Sidecar.”

The ride services already have plenty of potential for insurance disputes because coverage toggles on and off during the various segments of the trip. A notorious example occurred New Year’s Eve when an UberX driver hit and killed a young girl in San Francisco — reportedly when he was logged in but hadn’t received a ride request, meaning Uber can theoretically sidestep insurance responsibility. Her family is suing Uber over the case. A fatal Lyft accident outside Sacramento this month occurred during the paid ride, and Lyft said its insurance will cover the incident.

Commercial policies for livery/taxis/limos can cost $3,000 to $10,000 a year, Shultz said, many times more than personal coverage. New coverage would probably add an endorsement — a contract amendment — to existing personal policies, saying that ride-service activity is covered. But what it would cost and how insurers would distinguish between someone who drives for hire full time versus a few hours a week remain unclear.

Some insurers already have verified mileage programs, in which they put a device in the policyholder’s car or get data from Carfax or Jiffy Lube to track mileage, Shultz said.

The five insurers interested in tackling the issue are a mix of household names and small enterprises. “Three of them have TV commercials; two I’ve never heard of,” Shultz said. One well-known company is MetLife Auto & Home, which in May announced that it is working on coverage for Lyft drivers.

AB2293, by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, requires Period 1 coverage of $50,000 for injury to one person, $100,000 for multiple persons, and $30,000 for property damage.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid