Wallet & Customer Money Policy

1. Definitions

"Wallet" or "Root Cabs Wallet" means the closed-system, non-transferable, INR-denominated stored-value account maintained for a User within the Platform, used solely to pay for Fares, charges and other amounts payable to Root Cabs or its Driver Partners through the Platform.

"Wallet Balance" means the sum of all eligible credits standing to a User's Wallet at a given time, comprising Reload Balance and Wallet Points.

"Reload Balance" means the portion of Wallet Balance, if and where this feature is enabled, added by a Customer through an approved payment method (UPI, debit/credit card, net-banking) for the sole purpose of paying for future Services.

"Wallet Points" means non-transferable credits issued at Root Cabs' discretion, including cancellation credits, refund credits, promotional rewards, referral bonuses and goodwill credits, which have no cash-withdrawal value.

"Driver Earnings Wallet" means the ledger maintained for a Driver Partner reflecting completed-trip earnings net of Driver Commission, available for periodic settlement/payout to the Driver Partner's registered bank account, distinct from the Customer Wallet described in this Policy.

"Payment Aggregator" or "PA" means an RBI-authorised entity engaged by Root Cabs to process digital payments (card, UPI, net-banking) on the Platform in compliance with the RBI Master Directions for Payment Aggregators, 2020/2021.

"KYC" means Know Your Customer verification undertaken in accordance with applicable RBI/PMLA norms, to the extent required for the features enabled on the Wallet.

2. Nature and Purpose of the Root Cabs Wallet

• The Wallet is a closed-loop account for use exclusively on the Root Cabs Platform, for payment of Fares and related charges for Local Rides, Auto, Drop Taxi, Outstation Trips, Acting Driver Services, Root Delivery and Bike Taxi.
• The Wallet is not a bank account, is not insured by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation, and does not earn interest.
• The Wallet Balance cannot be withdrawn as cash, transferred to another User's Wallet, or transferred to a bank account or UPI handle, except where Root Cabs expressly enables a Driver Partner payout mechanism as described in Section 9.

3. Sources of Wallet Balance

3.1 Wallet Points (Always Available)

• Cancellation credits issued under the Terms of Service;
• Refund credits for eligible cancelled, duplicate or erroneously charged bookings;
• Promotional rewards, festival/launch offers and loyalty credits;
• Referral bonuses under the Root Cabs referral programme;
• Goodwill credits issued at Root Cabs' discretion for service-recovery purposes.

3.2 Reload Balance (Where Enabled)

Where Root Cabs enables customer-funded reloads, a Customer may add money to the Wallet only through the Payment Aggregator-integrated payment methods displayed on the Platform (UPI, debit/credit card, net-banking). Root Cabs does not accept cash reloads directly into the Wallet outside a Driver Partner's device-based collection flow, if any. Reload Balance, once added, can be used only to pay for Root Cabs Services and cannot be redeemed for cash, transferred, or used outside the Platform, consistent with the closed-system classification in Section 1.

4. Using the Wallet

• Wallet Balance may be applied automatically or by User selection at checkout to pay for an eligible booking, in full or partial combination with another payment method, as supported by the Platform.
• Wallet Points are consumed before Reload Balance, unless the Platform display indicates otherwise, so promotional credits are utilised ahead of the User's own funds.
• Wallet Balance cannot be used to pay another User, cannot be gifted, and is strictly non-transferable between Accounts.
• The entire eligible Wallet Balance may be used towards a booking, subject to Section 6 (Withdrawal) where applicable to Wallet Points specifically designated as withdrawable.

5. Cancellation Credits and Refunds into the Wallet

• Where a booking is cancelled by Root Cabs or a Driver Partner due to non-fulfilment, or where a duplicate or erroneous charge is identified, Root Cabs may credit the affected amount to the Customer's Wallet as Wallet Points, or, where the original payment was made through a digital instrument, process a refund to the original payment method, at Root Cabs' discretion or the Customer's election where offered.
• Refunds to original payment methods are subject to the processing timelines of the relevant bank/Payment Aggregator and are outside Root Cabs' direct control.
• Cash-paid bookings are refunded, where eligible, as Wallet Points, since RBI norms do not permit refund of wallet credits as cash.

6. Withdrawal of Wallet Points (Driver Partners)

This Section applies to Driver Partner incentive/bonus Wallet Points credited outside the trip-earnings settlement process (governed separately under Section 9). Where Root Cabs permits withdrawal of such Wallet Points:

• A minimum balance of 500 Wallet Points must be maintained in the Wallet at all times; only the balance in excess of this threshold is eligible for withdrawal (e.g., of an 800-point balance, 500 points must remain and 300 points are withdrawable).
• Withdrawal requests are subject to Account verification, transaction verification and Root Cabs' approval, and will be processed to the Driver Partner's verified bank account within the timeline displayed on the Platform.
• Wallet Points cannot be withdrawn by Customers as cash under any circumstance, consistent with the closed-system nature of the Customer Wallet.

7. Wallet Validity, Inactivity and Forfeiture

• A Wallet with no transaction activity for a continuous period of one (1) year may be marked inactive and will require re-verification before further use.
• Wallet Points issued as promotional or cancellation credits are valid for the period stated at issuance (or, if unstated, twelve (12) months from the date of credit), after which unused Wallet Points may lapse.
• Root Cabs will make reasonable efforts to notify Users by SMS, e-mail or in-app notification at least fifteen (15) days before expiry of a material Wallet Points balance.
• Users acknowledge they will have no claim against Root Cabs for Wallet Points forfeited on expiry, or on account of Account termination for a breach of the Terms of Service.

8. Security and Unauthorised Transactions

• Users are responsible for keeping their login credentials, device PIN and OTPs confidential and must not share them with any person, including a Driver Partner or Root Cabs staff.
• Root Cabs will never ask for your OTP, password or full card details over a call, SMS or e-mail; any such request should be treated as fraudulent and reported immediately to support@rootcabs.com.
• Where a User promptly reports (within 72 hours) a lost device or suspected unauthorised access, Root Cabs will make reasonable efforts to freeze the Wallet pending investigation; the User remains liable for transactions occurring before such report to the extent attributable to their own negligence, consistent with applicable RBI customer-liability norms.
• Root Cabs will investigate suspected fraud and may restrict or suspend the Wallet during investigation, notifying the User of the outcome.

9. Driver Partner Trip Earnings and Settlement

This Section governs money owed to Driver Partners for completed trips and is distinct from the Customer Wallet described above.

• Fares collected digitally are processed through Root Cabs' Payment Aggregator and recorded against the relevant Driver Partner's Driver Earnings Wallet, net of Driver Commission and any applicable cancellation-penalty adjustments.
• Fares collected in cash by a Driver Partner directly from a Customer are retained by the Driver Partner at the time of collection; Root Cabs may true-up the applicable Driver Commission against future digital settlements or Wallet balance as displayed on the Driver Partner app.
• Settlement of the Driver Earnings Wallet to the Driver Partner's registered bank account will occur on the cycle displayed on the Platform (e.g., daily/weekly), subject to completion of KYC and bank-account verification.
• Any dispute regarding trip earnings must be raised within seven (7) days of the relevant trip through the Driver Partner app or Root Cabs Support.

10. Chargebacks

A Customer who has paid by card or UPI may have chargeback rights under the rules of their card network, bank or UPI app; such chargeback requests are processed by the Customer's bank/payment provider and not directly by Root Cabs. Root Cabs will cooperate with the Payment Aggregator and provide transaction records reasonably required to assess a chargeback claim, and reserves the right to review Account and transaction history to investigate potential fraud.

11. Prohibited Uses

• Using the Wallet for money laundering, terror financing, gambling, or any unlawful purpose;
• Creating multiple Accounts to abuse promotional Wallet Points or referral credits;
• Attempting to transfer, sell, or exchange Wallet Balance outside the Platform;
• Circumventing reload limits through structuring of transactions.

Root Cabs may freeze, forfeit, or reverse Wallet credits obtained through any of the above, and may report suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities, including under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 where applicable.

12. Data Handling for Payment Information

Root Cabs does not store full debit/credit card numbers, CVV or net-banking credentials; these are handled exclusively by its RBI-authorised Payment Aggregator in compliance with PCI-DSS standards, as described in the Privacy Policy. Root Cabs stores only tokenised references, masked card details, transaction identifiers and Wallet ledger entries necessary to operate the Wallet and reconcile payments.

13. Limitation of Liability

Root Cabs will exercise reasonable care in operating the Wallet but shall not be liable for delays or failures attributable to a Payment Aggregator, bank, telecom operator or other third party, or for events of Force Majeure. Subject to applicable law, Root Cabs' aggregate liability in connection with the Wallet for any User shall not exceed the Wallet Balance held by that User at the time the relevant claim arose, save in cases of Root Cabs' proven wilful default or gross negligence.

14. Account and Wallet Closure

On closure of a User's Account, any withdrawable balance (for Driver Partners, under Section 6) will be settled subject to verification, and any remaining non-withdrawable Wallet Points will be forfeited, consistent with Section 7 and the Privacy Policy's account-deletion provisions. Refundable Reload Balance, where the Wallet supports customer-funded reloads, will be refunded to the original payment source on request, net of any amounts already utilised, subject to identity verification.

15. Grievance Redressal for Wallet and Payment Issues

16. Amendments

Root Cabs may amend this Wallet Policy, including reload limits, KYC requirements and fee structures, to reflect changes in applicable law (including any future RBI authorisation Root Cabs obtains, or any Payment Aggregator/PPI partnership it enters into), business needs, or security requirements. Material changes will be notified through the app, SMS or e-mail, and continued use of the Wallet after the effective date of the revised Policy constitutes acceptance.

17. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This Wallet Policy is governed by the laws of India, including the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 and applicable RBI directions. Disputes shall be resolved in accordance with Section 20 (Governing Law and Dispute Resolution) of the Root Cabs Terms of Service, with courts at Vellore/Chennai, Tamil Nadu having exclusive jurisdiction, subject to consumer-forum rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

18. Contact

Root Cabs, a unit of Texve Innovations Private Limited, No. 42, 1st Floor, VIT Main Road, Tharapadavedu, Katpadi, Vellore - 632007, Tamil Nadu

Wallet Support: support@rootcabs.com | +91 860 860 6474