Privacy Policy

We collect the following categories of personal data:

• Account & identity: name, email address, phone number, and authentication identifiers (via Google Sign-In or phone OTP through Firebase Authentication).
• Profile & preferences: commute locations, role (rider or driver), gender, vehicle type, and corporate/company email used to join trust circles.
• Location data: precise device location to find and match nearby carpools and show live trips. With your permission, we use background location during an active trip to detect route deviations and support safety features.
• Identity verification (KYC): documents and details you submit for verification — such as Aadhaar number, driving licence, vehicle registration (RC), PAN, and a selfie — to confirm driver and rider identity.
• Payment information: wallet balances, transactions, and payout details. Card/UPI payment details are processed directly by our payment processor (Razorpay); we do not store full card numbers.
• Safety data: emergency contacts you add and SOS events you trigger (including location at the time).
• Device & usage data: device push notification tokens, app interactions, log data, and diagnostics used to operate and improve the Service.

• Match riders and drivers and optimize routes.
• Verify identity and eligibility (KYC) and maintain trust circles.
• Process cost-sharing payments, wallets, and payouts.
• Provide safety features, including SOS alerts and trip monitoring.
• Send ride updates and notifications (you can control push notifications).
• Operate, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the Service.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.

• Other users: limited profile information (e.g. name, rating, approximate pickup) is shared with riders/drivers you are matched with.
• Service providers: Google Firebase and Google Cloud (authentication, database, storage, hosting, notifications), Google Maps (routing), and Razorpay (payments). These providers process data on our behalf.
• Emergency recipients: when you trigger SOS, relevant details and location may be shared with your emergency contacts and, where applicable, safety authorities.
• Legal & safety: when required by law or to protect the rights, safety, and security of users and the public.

We do not sell your personal data.

We retain personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service and meet legal, tax, and safety obligations. You can delete your account at any time from the app (Settings → Delete Account), which removes your profile, rides, bookings, and associated data from our active systems, subject to limited retention required by law.

To request deletion or exercise other rights, contact us at privacy@thecarpool.in.

We use industry-standard safeguards including encrypted connections (TLS), authenticated APIs, and access-controlled storage (Firebase Security Rules) for documents such as KYC uploads. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information.

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, export, or delete your personal data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. You can manage core profile data in the app or contact us to exercise these rights.

The Service is intended for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it.

We are based in India and process data on infrastructure that may be located in India and other countries. By using the Service you consent to the transfer and processing of your data in these locations.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app.

Questions about this policy or your data? Email us at privacy@thecarpool.in.