Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data Ride Kerala collects, why, who can see it, how long we keep it, and the rights you have. It covers the Ride Kerala app (for riders), the RK Captain app (for drivers), the RK Operator app and website (for our staff), and the trip-share web page.

Ride Kerala is run by XQ Tech Solutions, a sole proprietorship of Ashok Kumar G, Nattukal, Kozhinjampara, Palakkad, Kerala 678554, India (“we”, “us”, “our”). For the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, we are the Data Fiduciary for the data described here.

Contents

1. Data we collect
2. Location
3. How we use your data
4. Legal basis
5. Who can see your data
6. Where your data is stored
7. How long we keep it
8. Security
9. Your rights
10. Deleting your account
11. Age limit
12. Grievance Officer
13. Changes to this policy

1. Data we collect

Everyone who signs in

• Account details: your name and your mobile number and/or email address. Riders and drivers sign in with Google or with their mobile number. If you sign in with Google, we receive your name and email address from Google (we never see your Google password). If you sign in with your mobile number, we send a one-time code to your WhatsApp.
• Device and notification data: a notification token (Firebase Cloud Messaging) so we can send ride updates, your app version, and basic technical logs (time, request type, IP address) that our servers keep for security and troubleshooting.
• Messages to us: complaints, reports, ratings and notes you write, and our replies.

Riders (Ride Kerala app)

• Location: your precise location while you use the app, to set your pickup point, find nearby drivers and show your trip (see Location).
• Trip details: pickup and drop points, the route and distance, the fare shown, ride times and status, cancellations and no-shows.
• Saved places: Home, Work and other places you save, and your recent drop points.
• Emergency contact: the name and phone number of a person you choose, used only for SOS.

Drivers (RK Captain app)

• Verification documents: photos of your driving licence (front and back), vehicle registration certificate (RC), a photo of your vehicle with its number plate, and a selfie, plus the details on them (licence number, vehicle number). We do not ask for Aadhaar.
• Profile and work details: union and auto stand, online/offline status and times, ride requests received, accepted or missed, rides and earnings.
• Location: your precise location while you are online or on a trip, including in the background (see Location).
• Wallet: your wallet balance, top-ups, and the software fees charged per ride. Card, UPI and bank details for top-ups are entered on Razorpay's checkout and handled by Razorpay. We do not see or store your card number or UPI PIN.

Staff (RK Operator)

• Name, email, a password (stored only as a secure hash), notification token, and a log of the actions taken in the admin tools (for example document approvals), kept for security and accountability.

We do not access your contacts, call history, SMS inbox, microphone or files. Photos are only taken from your camera or gallery when you choose to upload one.

2. Location

• Riders: we use your location only while the app is open, to set the pickup, find nearby drivers and follow the trip. If you don't allow location, you may have to enter your pickup yourself and some features may not work. During a trip the app asks you to keep location on so the driver can find you and the trip can be followed for safety.
• Drivers: while you are online or on a trip, we collect your precise location to send you nearby ride requests and to share your live position with your rider. If you choose “Allow all the time”, this also happens when the app is closed or not in use. We do not collect location when you are offline. A notification is shown the whole time you are online.
• During a ride: the rider sees the driver's live position. If a rider shares the trip, people with the trip link also see it until the link expires (about 2 hours).

Detailed position history for a ride is deleted after about one day. The ride record keeps the pickup, drop, distance and times.

3. How we use your data

• To create and secure your account and sign you in.
• To match riders with nearby drivers, show fares, run the ride (calls, pickup code, live map) and keep ride history.
• To verify drivers before they can take rides, and to keep checking that accounts follow our Terms.
• To run the driver wallet: top-ups, fees, fee refunds and statements.
• To send ride updates, safety alerts and service notices. We do not send advertising notifications.
• For safety: SOS alerts, trip sharing, and looking into complaints, reports and incidents.
• To prevent fraud and misuse, and to fix problems with the service.
• To meet legal duties, for example tax records, transport rules and lawful requests from authorities.

We do not use your data for automated decisions that have legal effects on you. Showing a driver as “hidden” or “offline”, or blocking a rider after repeated no-shows, follows simple rules you can ask us about, and our staff review them on request.

4. Legal basis

We process your personal data under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made under them:

• Consent: you give consent when you create an account and when the app asks for permissions such as location or notifications. You can withdraw consent at any time (see Your rights). If you do, we may no longer be able to provide the service.
• Legitimate uses allowed by law: for example, data you give us yourself to get a ride, responding to a medical emergency or a threat to safety, and meeting a legal obligation or court order.

5. Who can see your data

The other person in your ride

• Your driver sees your name, pickup and drop points, your phone number (so they can call you), and your live pickup location.
• Your rider sees the driver's name, phone number, vehicle number and live position during the ride.

People you choose

• Anyone you send a trip-share link to can see the trip and the driver's live position until the link expires.
• If you press SOS, our support team is alerted with the ride details, the names and phone numbers of the rider and driver, the vehicle number, your live location and your emergency contact.

Our staff

Authorised Ride Kerala staff can see the data they need to run the service, for example driver documents for verification, ride records for complaints, and SOS details. Staff actions in the admin tools are logged.

Service providers who work for us

They process data only on our instructions and only for these purposes:

When the law requires it

We share data with police, courts, transport authorities or other government bodies when the law requires it or to protect someone's life or safety. We check that such requests are lawful.

If the business changes hands

If Ride Kerala is merged or sold, your data may move to the new owner, who must protect it as this policy says.

We never sell your personal data and never share it for advertising.

6. Where your data is stored

Our main database and the uploaded documents are stored on servers in Mumbai, India. Some service providers above (for example Google, Twilio, WhatsApp and Telegram) may process limited data, such as a phone number for a sign-in code or a notification token, on servers outside India. They do so under their own security commitments and as permitted by Indian law.

7. How long we keep it

8. Security

We use reasonable security practices as required by the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011. These include encryption in transit (HTTPS), access rules that limit each person to their own data, private storage for driver documents, staff-only access with logging, and passwords stored only as secure hashes. No system is perfectly secure. If a personal data breach affects you, we will inform you and the Data Protection Board of India as the law requires.

9. Your rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 you can:

• Get information about the personal data we hold about you and who we have shared it with.
• Correct or update data that is wrong or incomplete. Many details can be changed in the app's Account screen.
• Erase your data by deleting your account (see below).
• Withdraw consent, for example by turning off location or notification permissions in your phone settings, or by deleting your account.
• Nominate someone to exercise these rights if you die or become unable to.
• Complain to our Grievance Officer, and then to the Data Protection Board of India.

To use any of these rights, email [email protected] from your registered email address, or include your registered mobile number. We may ask you to confirm your identity first.

10. Deleting your account

You can ask us to delete your account at any time. See How to delete your account. Uninstalling the app does not delete your account.

11. Age limit

Ride Kerala is for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you think a child has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.

12. Grievance Officer

As required by the Information Technology Act, 2000, the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023:

• Name: Ashok Kumar G (Founder)
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone / WhatsApp: +91 62354 55560
• Address: XQ Tech Solutions, Nattukal, Kozhinjampara, Palakkad, Kerala 678554, India

We acknowledge complaints within 24 hours and aim to resolve them within 15 days.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the service or the law changes. We will change the date at the top and, for important changes, tell you in the app before they take effect.