Welcome to Root Cabs. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern access to and use of the website, mobile applications and related services (together, the "Platform") operated by Texve Innovations Private Limited under the brand "Root Cabs" ("Root Cabs", "Company", "we", "us", "our"). By registering on, accessing, or using the Platform - whether as a Customer, Driver Partner, Vendor, or visitor - you agree to be bound by these Terms, the Root Cabs Privacy Policy, and the Root Cabs Wallet & Customer Money Policy, each incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Platform.
1. Definitions
"Account" means the registered profile of a Customer, Driver Partner or Vendor on the Platform.
"Customer" means an individual who books a Ride, Auto trip, Drop Taxi, Outstation trip, Acting Driver service, or Root Delivery consignment through the Platform.
"Driver Partner" means an independent driver (Cab, Auto, Bike-Taxi, Acting Driver or Parcel Delivery Partner) registered on the Platform.
"Vendor" means an individual or entity that makes a vehicle available to a Driver Partner for use on the Platform.
"Services" means collectively, Local Rides, Auto, Drop Taxi, Outstation Trips, Acting Driver Services, Root Delivery (Parcel Delivery), Bike Taxi and any other service offered through the Platform.
"Root Cabs Wallet" or "Wallet" means the closed-loop, non-transferable stored-value account described in the Wallet & Customer Money Policy.
"Fare" means the amount payable by a Customer for a Ride or Root Delivery consignment, as displayed on the Platform prior to and upon completion of the booking.
"Driver Commission" means the percentage of Fare retained by Root Cabs as a platform/technology fee, currently positioned in the 12%-18% range referred to in Section 8.
2. Eligibility
- You must be at least 18 years of age and competent to contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872 to register on the Platform.
- Driver Partners must additionally hold a valid driving licence appropriate to the vehicle category, valid vehicle documents (RC, insurance, permit, fitness certificate, PUC), and satisfy any background-verification criteria Root Cabs may prescribe.
- Root Cabs relies on the accuracy of information provided at registration and is not liable for consequences arising from false or incomplete information provided by a User.
- Root Cabs reserves the right to refuse registration, or to suspend or terminate an Account, if it determines that a User is not eligible or has provided inaccurate information.
3. Nature of the Platform
Root Cabs is a technology aggregator that connects Customers seeking transportation or delivery services with independent Driver Partners. Root Cabs does not itself own or operate the vehicles used to provide Services (except where explicitly stated) and is not a common carrier. The contract for carriage of passengers or goods is between the Customer and the Driver Partner; Root Cabs facilitates discovery, booking, dispatch, payment collection and dispute resolution as an intermediary under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and, where applicable, as an aggregator under the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2020.
4. Services Offered
- Local Ride Bookings
- Auto
- Drop Taxi
- Outstation Trips (one-way and round trip)
- Airport Transfers
- Hourly Packages
- Acting Driver Services
- Root Delivery - Parcel Delivery Services
- Bike Taxi
- Wallet Services
- Referral and promotional programmes
- Future services introduced by Root Cabs
Service availability depends on location coverage, Driver Partner availability and operational conditions. Root Cabs reserves the right to modify, suspend or discontinue any Service or feature, with reasonable notice where practicable.
5. Account Registration and Use
- Users must provide accurate, current and complete information during registration and keep it updated.
- Accounts are personal, non-transferable, and must not be shared with or used by any unauthorised person.
- Users are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of login credentials and OTPs, and for all activity occurring under their Account.
- Root Cabs may suspend or terminate an Account involved in fraud, unauthorised use, policy violations, or repeated misuse, with notice where reasonably practicable.
6. Booking Process
- Customers must provide accurate pickup and drop details, date, time and contact information, and are responsible for verifying booking details before confirming.
- Booking confirmation is subject to Driver Partner availability and operational feasibility; Root Cabs does not guarantee allocation of a vehicle in every instance, including due to driver unavailability, technical issues, safety concerns or operational limitations.
- For Outstation and Airport Transfer bookings, additional terms (minimum-kilometre billing, driver allowance, toll pass-through) will be displayed at the time of booking and form part of the Fare.
7. Fare and Payment Terms
- Customers are responsible for the Fare, applicable tolls, parking, waiting charges, additional-distance/additional-hour charges, applicable taxes (including GST), and any other charges displayed on the Platform at or before booking confirmation.
- Payment may be made via cash, UPI, card, net-banking, or the Root Cabs Wallet, as enabled for the relevant Service.
- Driver Partners must collect only the Fare and charges communicated through the Platform. Any request by a Driver Partner for additional unauthorised payment should be reported to Root Cabs Support immediately.
- Digital payments are processed through RBI-authorised Payment Aggregator/Gateway partners; Root Cabs does not store full card details. See the Wallet & Customer Money Policy for further detail.
8. Driver Commission and Fee Transparency
Root Cabs is built on a low-commission, high-transparency model. Unless otherwise notified for a specific city, service line or promotional period, Root Cabs retains a platform/technology fee ("Driver Commission") in the range of 12% to 18% of the Fare - materially lower than prevailing industry-standard commissions. The Driver Commission covers access to the Root Cabs application, real-time GPS dispatch, payment processing coordination, 24/7 technical and safety support, and platform maintenance.
| Charge | Who Bears It | Nature |
|---|---|---|
| Fare | Customer | Consideration for the ride/delivery, shared between Driver Partner earnings and Driver Commission |
| Driver Commission (12%-18%) | Driver Partner (deducted from Fare) | Root Cabs platform/technology fee |
| GST | Customer / as applicable by law | Statutory tax remitted to the Government |
| Payment Gateway charge | As applicable, passed through at actuals | Third-party charge, not retained by Root Cabs |
| Toll, parking, waiting, additional distance | Customer | Actual pass-through cost |
Root Cabs will provide reasonable prior notice to Driver Partners of any change to the Driver Commission structure, consistent with its trust and transparency positioning.
9. Cancellation Policy
9.1 Customer Cancellation
Customers may cancel a booking without charge during the applicable free-cancellation window shown on the Platform. Cancellations made after a Driver Partner has been assigned and has started travelling towards the pickup location, beyond the free-cancellation window, may attract a cancellation charge, displayed prior to cancellation. Pending cancellation charges may be settled by adjustment against the Wallet, deduction at the next eligible booking, or another approved payment method; unresolved dues may result in restriction of future bookings.
9.2 Cancellation Credits
Where Root Cabs determines a cancellation was attributable to a service failure (e.g., prolonged driver delay), it may credit Wallet Points to the Customer's Wallet at its discretion, subject to the Wallet & Customer Money Policy.
9.3 Driver Cancellation
Driver Partners are expected to complete accepted rides and avoid unnecessary cancellations. A Driver Partner may cancel up to three (3) rides per day without penalty; cancellations beyond this limit may attract adjustments against earnings or Wallet balance, or temporary restrictions, subject to reasonable exceptions for vehicle breakdown, accident, medical emergency, safety concerns or other circumstances beyond reasonable control.
10. Refunds
- Refunds may be issued where a ride is cancelled by Root Cabs due to Driver Partner unavailability, a system/payment error, duplicate payment, or an incorrect deduction.
- Refunds are generally not available for Customer no-shows, late cancellations after Driver Partner assignment, or bookings under promotional terms that expressly exclude refunds.
- Eligible refunds are processed to the original payment method or credited to the Root Cabs Wallet, subject to the timelines of the relevant payment provider and the Wallet & Customer Money Policy.
11. Root Cabs Wallet
Root Cabs Wallet allows Users to hold and use eligible non-transferable credits (Wallet Points and, where enabled, prepaid balance) associated with their Account for payment of Fares and related charges. Wallet features, KYC requirements, reload limits, minimum-balance rules, withdrawal conditions, inactivity and forfeiture terms are governed exclusively by the Root Cabs Wallet & Customer Money Policy, which forms part of these Terms.
12. Root Delivery (Parcel Delivery Services)
- Root Delivery enables Customers to book parcel pickup and delivery through Driver Partners, subject to weight, dimension and content restrictions displayed on the Platform.
- Customers must not tender prohibited, hazardous, illegal, perishable-without-disclosure, or high-value items for delivery unless expressly permitted and declared.
- Root Cabs' liability for loss or damage to a parcel, where attributable to Root Cabs or a Driver Partner acting on its instructions, is limited as set out in Section 16; Customers are encouraged to declare parcel value accurately at booking.
13. Safety and Security
- Driver Partners must drive responsibly, follow applicable traffic laws, and must not operate a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other intoxicating substances.
- Users must not engage in conduct that compromises the safety of any Customer, Driver Partner or third party.
- Root Cabs provides in-app safety features (SOS/emergency contact alerts and trip sharing, where available) and encourages immediate reporting of safety concerns to Root Cabs Support.
- GPS tracking is used on vehicles registered with the Platform for security, dispatch and dispute-resolution purposes, consistent with the Privacy Policy.
14. User Conduct
Users must not use the Platform for any unlawful purpose, misuse promotional benefits or referral programmes, attempt fraud, attempt unauthorised access to the Platform or another User's Account, harass or threaten any other User or Driver Partner, or otherwise violate applicable law or these Terms. Root Cabs reserves the right to investigate suspected violations and take proportionate action, including warning, suspension or termination of the Account.
15. Intellectual Property
All trademarks, logos, application design, software and content on the Platform, including the "Root Cabs" name and mark, are owned by or licensed to Texve Innovations Private Limited and are protected under applicable intellectual property law. Users may not copy, reproduce, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works from the Platform or its content without prior written consent.
16. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability
The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. Root Cabs makes reasonable efforts to ensure Services are reliable but does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free or available at all times. As Root Cabs acts as a technology intermediary connecting Customers and Driver Partners, Root Cabs shall not be liable for:
- the conduct, negligence or acts/omissions of any Driver Partner, Vendor or Customer;
- delays or service interruptions caused by traffic, weather, road closures, government restrictions, or other events beyond Root Cabs' reasonable control (Force Majeure);
- loss of, or damage to, personal belongings or parcels left in a vehicle, beyond the best-effort recovery assistance Root Cabs provides;
- indirect, incidental or consequential loss arising from use of the Platform.
Subject to applicable consumer-protection law, Root Cabs' aggregate liability arising out of or relating to a single booking shall not exceed the Fare paid for that booking, except in cases of Root Cabs' proven wilful default or gross negligence.
17. Indemnity
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Root Cabs, its affiliates, officers and employees from claims, losses, damages and reasonable legal costs arising out of your breach of these Terms, misuse of the Platform, or violation of applicable law.
18. Grievance Redressal
In accordance with the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules, 2021, Root Cabs designates a Grievance Officer to address Customer and Driver Partner complaints.
| Level | Contact | Response Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 - Customer Support | support@rootcabs.com / +91 860 860 6474 | Acknowledgement within 24-48 hours |
| Level 2 - Grievance Officer | support@rootcabs.com | Resolution within 30 days, or as prescribed under applicable law |
Users may also approach the consumer disputes redressal forum having jurisdiction, or the National Consumer Helpline, without prejudice to the dispute-resolution mechanism in Section 20.
19. Termination
Root Cabs may suspend or terminate access to the Platform for breach of these Terms, fraud, safety violations, or regulatory requirement, with notice where reasonably practicable. Users may close their Account at any time by contacting Root Cabs Support, subject to settlement of pending bookings, dues and Wallet balances in accordance with the Wallet & Customer Money Policy.
20. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Any dispute shall first be referred to good-faith negotiation between the parties for thirty (30) days. If unresolved, the dispute shall be referred to arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, before a sole arbitrator mutually appointed, with the seat and venue of arbitration at Vellore, Tamil Nadu, and proceedings conducted in English. Subject to the foregoing, the courts at Vellore/Chennai, Tamil Nadu shall have exclusive jurisdiction. Nothing in this clause limits a consumer's right to approach a consumer forum under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
21. Changes to these Terms
Root Cabs may amend these Terms from time to time. Updated Terms take effect upon publication on the Platform, and continued use after that date constitutes acceptance. Material changes will be notified through the app, SMS or e-mail where reasonably practicable.
22. Contact Information
Root Cabs, a unit of Texve Innovations Private Limited
No. 42, 1st Floor, VIT Main Road, Tharapadavedu, Katpadi, Vellore - 632007, Tamil Nadu
Support: +91 860 860 6474 | E-mail: support@rootcabs.com