Privacy Policy

Who we are

SideCar is operated by AMKAI INC, 205 De Anza Blvd. #42, San Mateo, CA 94402 ("SideCar", "we", "us"). This policy covers the SideCar mobile apps for iOS and Android and the website at www.ride-sidecar.com.

SideCar is a platform that connects verified university students who are already driving somewhere with students who need a seat on that same trip. We are not a transportation company and we do not employ drivers.

What we collect

Information you give us

Account details. Your name, your university email address, your date of birth, and your gender. We use date of birth only to confirm you are 18 or older. Gender is used for the women-only ride preference.
A profile photo. Shown to the other people on a trip so you can recognise each other.
Identity verification. A government-issued photo ID, checked through a third-party verification provider. The provider performs the check and returns a result to us.
Driver details. If you post trips, your driver's licence, your vehicle make and model, and your confirmation that you carry active auto insurance for the trip.
Payment details. Card and bank details are collected and stored by Stripe. We never see or store your full card number. Drivers receiving payouts have a Stripe Connect account, and Stripe may collect tax information required to pay them.
Trip information. The routes you post or request, dates and times, seats, luggage, and your ride preferences.
Messages and ratings. Messages you send through the app and the ratings and reviews you leave.
Anything you send us by email or through the contact form.

Information we collect automatically

Device and usage data. Device type, operating system, app version, crash reports, and which screens you used.
Location. If you allow it, the app uses your device location to show nearby trips and pickup points. You can turn this off in your device settings and the app still works, you just type addresses by hand.
Website analytics. The website uses Cloudflare Web Analytics, which is cookieless and does not fingerprint or track you across sites.

What we do with it

Create and run your account, and confirm you are a student and 18 or older
Match riders with drivers, and show each side enough about the other to decide
Take payment, hold it until the trip is complete, and pay the driver
Run the pickup code, the no-show window, cancellations and refunds
Investigate reports, resolve disputes, and remove people who break the rules
Send you messages about your trips, and, if you opt in, occasional updates about SideCar
Fix bugs, keep the service secure, and understand what to build next

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with anyone for cross-context behavioural advertising. We do not run advertising trackers in the app or on the website.

What other people on a trip can see

When you book a seat or accept a request, the other person sees your first and last name, your profile photo, your rating, your trip count, whether you are verified, and, for drivers, the vehicle. They do not see your email address, your phone number, your date of birth, your ID document or your payment details.

Who else handles your data

We use service providers who process data on our behalf and are not allowed to use it for their own purposes:

Stripe for payments, holding funds until a trip completes, and driver payouts
Our identity verification provider for the government ID check
Google Maps Platform for addresses, routing and distance
Our hosting, database and push notification providers for running the app and the website
Our email provider for account and trip emails
Cloudflare for website analytics

We may also disclose information when we are legally required to, for example in response to a valid subpoena or court order, or where we believe in good faith that it is necessary to prevent serious harm to someone.

If SideCar is ever acquired or merged, your information may transfer as part of that. We will tell you before it happens.

How long we keep it

We keep your account information while your account is open. Trip records, payment records and dispute records are kept for as long as we need them for tax, accounting and legal reasons, normally seven years. Identity verification results are kept while your account is open and for a period afterwards to stop someone banned from simply signing up again. Messages tied to a trip are kept with the trip record.

You can delete your account from the app at any time. When you do, we remove your profile and stop using your data for anything other than the records described above.

Your choices and your rights

See, correct or delete your data. Most of it you can edit in the app. For anything else, email hi@ride-sidecar.com.
Get a copy. Ask and we will send you what we hold.
Turn off location. In your device settings, any time.
Stop marketing email. Every one has an unsubscribe link. Trip and account emails are not marketing and you cannot opt out of those while your account is open.

If you live in California, the CCPA as amended by the CPRA gives you the right to know what we collect, to delete it, to correct it, to opt out of sale or sharing, and not to be discriminated against for asking. We do not sell or share personal information. A government ID and precise location count as sensitive personal information under California law. We use them only to run the service, which is a use the law permits without a separate opt out, and we do not use them to build a profile about you.

To exercise any of these rights, email hi@ride-sidecar.com. We will verify who you are before acting, usually by confirming you control the account email.

Security

Data is encrypted in transit. Payment details live with Stripe, not with us. Access to production data is limited to people who need it. No system is perfect, and if a breach ever affects your personal information we will notify you as the law requires.

Age

SideCar is for people 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe someone under 18 has an account, email hi@ride-sidecar.com and we will remove it.

Changes

If we change this policy we will update the date at the top. If a change is significant we will tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect, rather than quietly swapping the page.

Contact

AMKAI INC
205 De Anza Blvd. #42
San Mateo, CA 94402
hi@ride-sidecar.com