Privacy Policy
PoolMate helps members share rides they were already taking and split the fuel cost. This policy explains exactly what we collect, why, and what we never do. We have tried to write it in plain English rather than legalese.
What we collect
- Your name and WhatsApp number — so co-travellers you've agreed to ride with can reach you.
- Your gender — used only to honour the "Ride with" preference (same gender only, or anyone). See below.
- Your rides — the pickup and drop locations, dates and times you post or search, and your ride preferences.
- Your car — brand, model, seat count and registration number, if you drive.
- Verification — a selfie (your profile photo, shown to co-travellers) and your work email address, which we verify with a one-time code and never display to anyone.
- Activity in the app — bookings, messages with people you are matched with, completed rides, and your credit balance.
- Sign-in identity — your mobile number, used to sign you in and as your WhatsApp contact for approved co-travellers.
We do not collect background location. The app does not track where you are; your location is used only if you press the ride-day SOS button (shared with your emergency contact) or to show walking distances, and never stored.
What other people can see
This is the part that matters most, so it is precise:
- Other members see your first name, your verification selfie, your car's brand and model, and how many rides you've shared.
- Your phone number is revealed only after a booking is approved, and only to that one person. Before approval, nobody can retrieve it.
- Your car's registration number is never shown to anyone. It is visible only to you.
- Your gender is never displayed anywhere in the app and is never returned by our servers to another user. It is used inside the matching query alone, so that a member who chose "same gender only" is only ever matched with, and only ever contactable by, members of that same gender.
- The pickup and drop points you choose for a ride are shown to members searching that route — that is the whole point of a shared ride. Pick a landmark or gate rather than your doorstep if you'd rather not publish it. We never collect your home address as such, and never track your device location in the background.
- Your work email is never displayed. Others see only a "verified" badge once you've confirmed it.
Why we're allowed to hold it
We process this data to provide the service you asked for: matching you with members on your route and letting you coordinate a shared ride. We rely on your consent, which you can withdraw at any time by deleting your account.
What we never do
- We do not sell your data. Not to advertisers, not to anyone.
- We do not share it with third parties for marketing.
- We do not use your data to build advertising profiles.
Our data is stored with Supabase (Postgres hosted in Mumbai, India), which processes it solely on our instructions. Sign-in uses your mobile number, and waitlist signups from this website are stored in Google Sheets (see the next section). Map search and walking distances use OpenStreetMap-based services (Photon, OSRM), which receive only the locations you search — never your name or number. Those are the only third parties involved.
This website (the waitlist)
Until the app launches, this site runs a waitlist. If you join it, we collect what you enter in the form: your WhatsApp number, and — only if you choose to share them — your name, email, city, travel frequency, whether you drive, seats available, and your ride-with preference. Each signup also records how you found the page (campaign tags in the link you clicked) and when it was submitted.
Waitlist entries are delivered by Google Apps Script into a Google Sheet, so Google processes this data on our instructions. We use it for one thing: to message you on WhatsApp when PoolMate goes live in your city. We keep it until launch and delete it on request — email us and it's gone.
The site sets no cookies and uses no advertising trackers. Your browser's local storage holds an unsent draft of the form and a note that you've already joined (so the form doesn't ask you twice); both stay on your device and are never transmitted.
Payments and credits
PoolMate credits are promotional and cannot be purchased or cashed out. The cost of a ride is settled directly between riders — PoolMate does not process those payments and does not hold your card or bank details.
How long we keep it
We keep your data while your account exists. Delete your account and it is removed immediately — profile, cars, rides, bookings, messages and credit history. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.
Deleting your account
In the app: Account → Delete my account. It takes effect straight away. If you can't access the app, see our account deletion page or email us and we will do it for you.
Your rights
You can access, correct or delete your data at any time from the Account screen. For anything the app doesn't let you do yourself, email us and we will help.
Children
PoolMate is not intended for anyone under 18.
Changes
If we change this policy in a way that affects you, we'll say so in the app before the change takes effect.
Contact
Questions, requests, or anything that feels wrong: williamscott701@gmail.com.