Privacy Policy

Introduction

Welcome to Moto-Taxi, a motorcycle taxi ride-hailing service that operates through WhatsApp and Telegram messaging platforms. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data with transparency and care.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your rights regarding your personal data. By using our service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Important: This service operates through WhatsApp Business API and Telegram. While we control how we handle your data, conversations on these platforms are also subject to Meta's (WhatsApp) and Telegram's respective privacy policies.

Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on whether you use our service as a Rider (customer) or as a Driver (service provider). We practice data minimization and only collect information necessary to provide our service safely and effectively.

For Riders (Customers)

We collect minimal information from riders to facilitate ride booking and completion:

• Phone Number: Your WhatsApp or Telegram phone number for service communication
• Location Data: Pickup and destination locations shared during ride requests (only while actively using our service)
• Ride History: Records of completed trips including locations, dates, times, and fares
• Messages: Communication with drivers through the platform for ride coordination
• Payment Information: Payment method selected (cash or digital) and transaction records
• Optional Name: Display name if provided for easier identification

For Drivers (Service Providers)

Due to safety and legal requirements, we collect comprehensive information from drivers during registration and operation:

Personal Information

• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Email address
• Phone number (WhatsApp/Telegram)
• Physical address (city, state, postal code)
• Emergency contact name and phone number

Driver's License Information

• Driver's license number
• License expiry date
• Scanned copy or photo of driver's license

Vehicle Information

• Vehicle make, model, year, and color
• License plate number
• Vehicle registration document (scan or photo)

Insurance Information

• Insurance provider name
• Policy number
• Insurance expiry date
• Insurance certificate or card (scan or photo)

Operational Information

• Service area preferences (availability zones)
• Real-time location data (only while online and providing service)
• Trip history and earnings records
• Availability status and break schedules
• Ratings and reviews from riders
• Referral code and referral relationships (if applicable)

Information We Do NOT Collect

Legal Basis for Processing Your Data

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Contractual Necessity: Processing your data is necessary to provide you with our ride-hailing service, match riders with drivers, and complete transactions.
• Consent: For certain optional features (such as marketing communications or sharing your rating publicly), we rely on your explicit consent, which you can withdraw at any time.
• Legitimate Interests: We process data for fraud prevention, security monitoring, and service improvement where it serves legitimate business interests that don't override your privacy rights.
• Legal Obligation: We process data when required to comply with applicable laws, tax regulations, or valid legal requests from authorities.

If you have questions about the legal basis for any specific data processing activity, please contact our privacy team.

How We Use Your Information

For All Users

• Service Delivery: To connect riders with drivers, facilitate trips, and process payments
• Communication: To enable coordination between riders and drivers via WhatsApp/Telegram
• Safety & Security: To verify identities, ensure safety, and respond to emergencies
• Customer Support: To respond to inquiries, resolve disputes, and provide assistance
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Service Improvement: To analyze usage patterns and improve our platform (using anonymized data)

Driver-Specific Uses

• Verification & Onboarding: To verify driver qualifications, licenses, and insurance before approval
• Document Management: To track document expiration dates and send renewal reminders
• Earnings & Payments: To calculate earnings, process commission settlements, and manage payouts
• Performance Monitoring: To track ratings, trip completion rates, and service quality
• Ride Matching: To match drivers with nearby riders based on location and availability

Automated Decision-Making

Our platform uses automated systems to enhance your experience and ensure efficient service:

• Ride Matching: We use automated algorithms to match riders with nearby available drivers based on location, availability, and service preferences. This ensures you get connected with a driver as quickly as possible.
• Pricing Calculations: Trip fares are automatically calculated based on distance, duration, and any applicable service fees or promotions.
• Safety & Fraud Detection: We use automated systems to detect unusual patterns that may indicate fraud, safety risks, or terms of service violations.

Your Rights: If you believe an automated decision has negatively affected you (such as being matched with an inappropriate driver or receiving an incorrect fare), you have the right to:

• Request human review of the automated decision
• Contest the decision and provide your perspective
• Receive an explanation of how the decision was made

To request a review, please contact our support team through WhatsApp/Telegram or email privacy@mototaxi.local.

How We Share Your Information

We do NOT sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.

Limited Sharing for Service Delivery

• Between Riders and Drivers: Essential trip details (pickup/dropoff locations, contact information) are shared between matched riders and drivers to facilitate the trip. Riders do NOT see drivers' personal documents, license numbers, or insurance details.
• Messaging Platforms: Messages and basic profile information are transmitted through WhatsApp or Telegram according to their respective privacy policies and terms of service.
• Payment Processors: If using digital payments, transaction information is shared with our payment provider to process payments securely.

Legal and Safety Disclosures

• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by applicable law, valid legal orders, court orders, or government regulations.
• Emergency Situations: In case of emergencies, we may share relevant information with emergency services, law enforcement, or medical personnel to protect safety and prevent harm.
• Dispute Resolution: Information may be shared as necessary to investigate and resolve disputes, fraud, or safety incidents.

Service Providers

We may share information with trusted service providers who assist us in operating our platform, including:

• Cloud hosting and database providers
• Document verification and fraud prevention services
• Customer support and communication tools

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

Data Security and Protection

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information:

• Encryption: All data transmission is encrypted using secure protocols (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure Storage: Personal data and documents are stored in secure, access-controlled databases
• Access Controls: Only authorized personnel have access to sensitive information on a need-to-know basis
• Document Security: Driver documents (licenses, registration, insurance) are stored with enhanced security and restricted access
• Regular Audits: We conduct regular security audits and updates to our systems
• Admin Monitoring: All administrative access to sensitive data is logged and monitored

While we take reasonable measures to protect your information, no internet-based service can be 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but remain committed to protecting your data.

Data Breach Notification

In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we are committed to transparency and prompt action:

• Rapid Response: We will investigate and contain the breach immediately upon discovery
• Timely Notification: We will notify affected users within 72 hours of confirming a breach that poses a risk to your rights and privacy
• Clear Communication: Our notification will explain what data was affected, what we're doing about it, and steps you can take to protect yourself
• Regulatory Reporting: We will report the breach to relevant data protection authorities as required by law
• Remediation: We will take immediate steps to prevent future breaches and offer support to affected users

Breach notifications will be sent via WhatsApp/Telegram message and email (if provided). We will never ask for passwords or sensitive information in breach notifications.

Data Retention

Rider Data Retention

• Active Trip Data: Retained until trip completion plus 30 days
• Trip History: Automatically deleted after 30 days of trip completion
• Location Data: Deleted immediately after trip completion
• Messages: Deleted after 7 days
• Account Information: Retained while account is active

Driver Data Retention

• Personal Information: Retained while driver is active plus 1 year after account closure for legal and tax compliance
• Driver's License Documents: Retained for 3 years after expiration or account closure
• Vehicle Registration: Retained for 3 years after expiration or account closure
• Insurance Certificates: Retained for 3 years after expiration or account closure
• Trip and Earnings Records: Retained for 5 years for tax and accounting purposes
• Real-time Location: Deleted 24 hours after recording (unless part of a trip route)
• Trip Route History: Retained for 30 days after trip completion

Legal Holds

We may retain information longer if required by law, legal proceedings, investigations, or to enforce our terms of service.

Account Deletion

Upon account deletion request, most personal data is permanently deleted within 30 days. Some information may be retained in anonymized form for analytics or as required by law.

Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and personal data (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Data Portability: Request your data in a standard, machine-readable format
• Restriction: Request to limit how we process your data
• Objection: Object to certain types of data processing
• Withdraw Consent: Stop using the service at any time

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, you can:

• Message us directly through WhatsApp or Telegram
• Contact our privacy team at: privacy@mototaxi.local
• Visit our admin support portal (for drivers)

We will respond to your request within 30 days and may ask you to verify your identity before processing certain requests.

How to Opt-In and Opt-Out

Opting In to Our Service

By sending your first message to our WhatsApp or Telegram service number, you provide explicit consent to:

• Receive service-related messages from us (ride confirmations, driver assignments, payment receipts, etc.)
• Share your phone number and basic profile information with us
• Allow us to process your data as described in this Privacy Policy

Important: We will only send you messages necessary for providing our ride-hailing service. We do NOT send marketing messages unless you separately opt-in to receive them.

Opting Out (Unsubscribing)

You can stop receiving messages from us at any time by using any of these methods:

After you opt-out, we will:

• Stop sending you messages immediately (except for one confirmation message)
• Retain your data only as long as required by law (typically for tax and legal compliance)
• Delete optional data like trip history and location within our standard retention periods

Re-opting In: You can opt back in at any time by simply sending us a new message. Your previous account may be reactivated if it hasn't been deleted yet.

WhatsApp and Telegram Privacy

Our service operates through WhatsApp Business API and Telegram. It's important you understand how these platforms handle your data:

What Data is Shared with WhatsApp/Meta

When you use our service through WhatsApp, the following information is shared with or accessible by Meta (WhatsApp's parent company):

• Your Phone Number: Meta knows you're communicating with our business account
• Message Metadata: Timestamps, delivery status, and read receipts (but NOT message content due to end-to-end encryption)
• Our Business Profile: Our business name, profile picture, and description are publicly visible on WhatsApp
• Device Information: WhatsApp may collect device type, operating system, and IP address according to their privacy policy

Important: WhatsApp provides end-to-end encryption, which means Meta cannot read the content of your messages with us. However, they may use metadata for their own purposes as described in their privacy policy.

Platform Privacy Policies

• WhatsApp: Your use of WhatsApp is subject to Meta's Privacy Policy. We strongly recommend reading it to understand how Meta processes your data.
• Telegram: Your use of Telegram is subject to Telegram's Privacy Policy.

What We Cannot Control

Public Information

Our WhatsApp Business Profile contains publicly available information including our business name, phone number, business category, description, and website. This information is visible to all WhatsApp users and searchable on the platform.

Children's Privacy

Our service is not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Riders must be at least 18 years old to use our service, and drivers must meet the legal age requirements for commercial driving in their jurisdiction.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child without proper parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information immediately.

International Data Transfers

Your data is primarily processed and stored on secure servers within our service region. However, some service providers (such as cloud hosting and communication platforms) may store or process data in other locations to ensure service reliability and performance.

When data is transferred internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place through:

• Contractual data protection agreements with service providers
• Compliance with applicable data protection standards
• Encryption of data in transit and at rest

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our administrative web dashboard uses minimal cookies for:

• Session Management: To keep admin users logged in
• Security: To prevent unauthorized access and CSRF attacks
• Functionality: To remember user preferences

We do NOT use:

• Third-party advertising cookies
• Analytics tracking for marketing purposes
• Cross-site tracking technologies

The WhatsApp and Telegram messaging interfaces we use do not employ browser cookies.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or business operations.

When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• Notify active users through WhatsApp/Telegram messages
• For significant changes, request your explicit consent where required by law

Your continued use of our service after notification of changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

Legal Compliance

We comply with applicable data protection and privacy regulations in the jurisdictions where we operate, including requirements for data processing, storage, and user rights. We are committed to meeting international privacy standards and best practices.

Any disputes arising from this policy or our data practices shall be resolved in accordance with applicable law. We encourage users to contact us directly to resolve any privacy concerns before pursuing formal legal remedies.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:

We are committed to addressing your privacy concerns promptly and transparently.