Terms of Use

Agreeing to these terms

These terms cover www.ride-sidecar.com and the SideCar apps for iOS and Android, operated by AMKAI INC, 205 De Anza Blvd. #42, San Mateo, CA 94402 ("SideCar", "we", "us"). By using the site or the app you agree to them. If you do not agree, do not use SideCar.

When you create an account you also accept the Terms of Service presented in the app. Those are the full platform terms. If anything here conflicts with them, the in-app terms control.

Who can use SideCar

• You must be 18 or older. There are no accounts for anyone younger.
• You need a valid university email address at a school we have opened. We are starting at UC Santa Barbara.
• You must complete a government ID check.
• To post trips as a driver you must also hold a valid driver's licence, register the vehicle you will actually drive, and carry active auto insurance for the whole trip.

One person, one account. Do not sign up as somebody else, and do not let anyone else use your account.

What SideCar is, and is not

SideCar connects people. The trip itself is between the driver and the riders. We do not provide transportation, we are not a party to the trip, and we do not supervise, direct or control drivers or riders. Drivers decide whether to drive, which route to take and who rides with them.

We do not perform criminal background checks on drivers. Driver eligibility rests on a verified government ID and a valid licence. You should read profiles and ratings and use your own judgement before getting in a car with someone or letting someone into yours.

Booking a seat

• Every seat request goes to the driver, who accepts or declines it. There is no instant booking.
• The price per seat is shown on the trip before you request it. You see the full amount before you confirm.
• Pickups and drop-offs happen at gas stations within half a mile of the route the driver is already taking. Within Isla Vista and on the UCSB campus you can be picked up or dropped off anywhere.
• At pickup, the rider gives the driver a one-time code. The code starts the trip and confirms you are in the right car with the right person.
• A driver must wait at least ten minutes past the agreed pickup time before marking a rider as a no-show.

Money

Payments run through Stripe. The rider pays when the seat is confirmed, Stripe holds the money until the trip is complete, and the driver is paid after that. No cash changes hands through SideCar. SideCar charges a platform fee, which is disclosed in the app at the time of the transaction.

Payments on SideCar are a contribution toward the cost of a trip the driver was already taking. SideCar is not a commercial transportation service and a seat is not a fare.

Cancellations and refunds

• Seven or more days before pickup: full refund.
• Less than seven days, more than 24 hours: 50% refund.
• Inside 24 hours: non-refundable, because the driver held the seat for you.
• If the driver cancels: the rider is refunded in full, whenever it happens.

If something goes wrong

Flag the trip in the app. Flagging pauses the driver payout and sends the trip to us for manual review, normally within about three business days. We will look at both sides and decide where the money goes. Our decision on a payout is final as between you and us, which does not stop you pursuing the other person directly.

How to behave

Do not: harass, threaten or discriminate against anyone; drive under the influence or while unfit; carry more riders than you have seat belts for; post a trip you do not intend to drive; take payment outside the app for a trip arranged on SideCar; create fake accounts or reviews; scrape or copy the service; or use SideCar for anything illegal.

We can suspend or close any account, at any time, if we think someone is unsafe, dishonest or breaking these rules.

Ride preferences

Riders and drivers can set a women-only preference on a trip. It is a preference each user chooses for their own trips. SideCar does not assign it and does not use it to rank anyone.

Risk, and the limits of what we are responsible for

You travel at your own risk. SideCar does not insure trips. The driver's own auto insurance is the insurance that applies, and whether it covers a given trip is between the driver and their insurer. Riders should understand that before getting in.

The service is provided as is. We do not promise it will be uninterrupted, error free, or that any trip will happen as posted. To the fullest extent the law allows, AMKAI INC is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or for the acts or omissions of any driver, rider or other user. Our total liability for any claim connected to SideCar is limited to the greater of the fees you paid us in the twelve months before the claim, or one hundred dollars.

Nothing here limits liability that cannot legally be limited, including for death or personal injury caused by our own negligence, or for fraud.

Your content

You keep ownership of what you post. You give us permission to display it where the service needs to, for example showing your profile photo to the people on your trip. Feedback and ideas you send us we can use freely and without owing you anything.

The SideCar name, logo and everything on this site and in the app belong to AMKAI INC or are used with permission. Do not copy or rebrand them.

Ending it

You can delete your account in the app at any time. Trips you have already booked still have to be settled. We can suspend or end your access as described above, or discontinue the service entirely, with notice where we reasonably can.

Changes

If we change these terms we will update the date at the top, and for significant changes we will tell you in the app or by email. Continuing to use SideCar after a change means you accept the new version.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. Any dispute not resolved informally will be brought in the state or federal courts located in San Mateo County, California, and you and we both consent to that.

Contact

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