Privacy Policy

1. Scope and Application

This Policy applies to all individuals who interact with the Platform, including:

• Customers who register, book, or pay for rides, auto trips, drop taxi, outstation trips, acting-driver services or Root Delivery (parcel) bookings;
• Driver Partners, including Cab, Auto, Bike-Taxi, Acting Driver and Parcel Delivery Partners, and applicants;
• Vendors who make vehicles available to Driver Partners on the Platform;
• Visitors to the Root Cabs website who have not created an account;
• Participants in referral programmes, promotions, surveys, contests or customer-support interactions;
• Corporate or bulk-booking clients and their authorised users.

This Policy covers every service line offered by Root Cabs - Local Rides, Auto, Drop Taxi, Outstation Trips, Acting Driver Services, Root Delivery (Parcel Delivery), Bike Taxi, the Root Cabs Wallet, referral/promotional programmes, and future services - and should be read together with the Root Cabs Terms of Service and Wallet & Customer Money Policy.

2. Definitions

"Personal Data" means any data about an individual who is identifiable by or in relation to such data, as defined under the DPDP Act.

"Sensitive Personal Data" means financial information, government identifiers (such as Aadhaar or PAN), biometric data and other categories recognised as sensitive under the SPDI Rules.

"Data Principal" means the individual to whom the Personal Data relates - the Customer, Driver Partner, Vendor or other User.

"Data Fiduciary" means Root Cabs (through Texve Innovations Private Limited), which determines the purpose and means of processing.

"Consent Manager" means a person registered with the Data Protection Board who enables a Data Principal to give, manage, review or withdraw consent, where such a mechanism is adopted.

"Processing" means any operation performed on Personal Data, including collection, storage, use, sharing, disclosure and erasure.

"Platform" means the Root Cabs website, Customer app, Driver Partner app, Vendor portal, APIs and any other digital interface operated by or on behalf of Root Cabs.

3. Our Commitment

• We collect only the Personal Data reasonably necessary to provide safe, reliable transportation, delivery and payment-related services.
• We process Personal Data lawfully, fairly and transparently, only for notified purposes.
• We do not sell Personal Data to third parties.
• We maintain reasonable security safeguards appropriate to data sensitivity.
• We honour Data Principal rights under the DPDP Act (Section 13).

4. Information We Collect

4.1 Information You Provide Directly

(a) Account and Registration Information

• Full name, mobile number, e-mail address, date of birth and residential address;
• Profile photograph and account password/authentication credentials;
• Emergency contact details, if provided;
• Referral codes, promotional codes and communication preferences.

(b) Driver Partner and Vendor Onboarding Information

• Driving licence, RC, insurance certificate, permit, fitness certificate and PUC certificate;
• Aadhaar and/or other government ID, and PAN, verified only to the extent permitted under the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and DPDP Act;
• Bank account details, cancelled cheque/bank proof, and GST information, where applicable;
• Vehicle photographs, model, registration number, type and ownership documents;
• Background-verification information, where legally permitted, obtained with consent.

(c) Payment and Wallet Information

• Payment method, transaction identifiers and status, UPI handle, masked card details;
• Root Cabs Wallet balances, promotional credits, referral rewards, refunds, and withdrawal/settlement information.
• Root Cabs does not store full debit/credit card numbers or CVV - these are processed exclusively by our RBI-authorised Payment Aggregator partners under PCI-DSS.

(d) Support, Feedback and Content

• Customer-support tickets, complaint details, chat and call-recording transcripts (where recorded with notice), feedback, ratings and dispute documents;
• Ratings, reviews, survey responses, contest entries and voluntarily uploaded images.

4.2 Information Collected Automatically

(a) Location Information

Subject to device permissions, we collect real-time GPS location, pickup/drop coordinates, route travelled, driver/customer live location during a trip, and route deviations - used to match Customers with drivers, provide navigation, calculate fares and ETAs, enhance safety, investigate disputes and prevent fraud.

Driver Partner Location Data: When you use the Root Cabs Driver Partner / Captain app, we collect precise or approximate location data from your device to support core driver features such as live driver tracking, trip assignment and navigation, shift start and end workflows, safety monitoring, fraud prevention, and customer support. We may collect this location data while the app is open and in use, and, where required for the app's core driver functionality, while the app is running in the background or not actively in use - for example, to keep trip progress, route tracking, and safety features working while you are on shift or during an active trip. This location data is used only for providing and improving driver services and related platform operations, and is not used for marketing purposes. You can control location access through your device settings; disabling location permissions may affect live tracking, trip navigation, shift workflows, and certain safety features. We retain location-related data only as long as needed for these purposes, legal compliance, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, and operational requirements, and may disassociate location tracking records from personal information as part of our data minimization practices.

(b) Ride and Delivery Information

• Booking ID, service type, pickup/destination address, date and time, distance and duration, waiting time, cancellation data, fare breakup, tolls, parking, discounts, Wallet deductions and post-trip ratings.

(c) Device and Usage Information

• Device model, OS, device identifiers, IP address, browser type, app version, crash reports, login activity and security events;
• Feature usage, screens viewed, booking frequency, in-app search history, notification interactions and referral activity.

(d) App Permissions

Root Cabs requests only permissions necessary for the user's role - Location, Notifications, Contacts (emergency-alert/ride-sharing only), Camera and Storage (document/complaint uploads), Phone (in-app calling/support), and OTP auto-fill - requested contextually and withdrawable via device settings.

4.3 Information from Third Parties

• Payment service providers, banking partners and payment aggregators;
• Identity-verification and background-check agencies, vehicle-verification agencies;
• Government and law-enforcement authorities, insurance providers;
• Referral participants, business/corporate partners, analytics and marketing partners.

5. Legal Basis and Purposes of Processing

Root Cabs processes Personal Data on the basis of consent (including deemed consent for legitimate uses recognised under the DPDP Act), performance of contract, compliance with legal obligation, or Root Cabs' legitimate interest in operating a safe platform.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The Root Cabs website and apps use cookies, SDK-based analytics and similar technologies to remember login sessions, save preferences, maintain security, measure performance, understand behaviour, personalise content and detect fraud. Users may manage cookies through browser settings; disabling cookies may affect certain functionality.

7. How We Share Your Information

Root Cabs does not sell Personal Data. We share it only as reasonably necessary for the purposes below, subject to contractual confidentiality and security obligations on every recipient.

7.1 With Driver Partners / Customers (Trip Facilitation)

To facilitate a booking, we share the Customer's name, pickup/drop location and contact number (masked or app-based calling where available) with the assigned Driver Partner; and share the Driver Partner's name, photograph, vehicle details, rating, ETA and live trip location with the Customer.

7.2 With Service Providers

• Payment processors and payment aggregators;
• Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers;
• SMS, e-mail and WhatsApp Business API providers;
• Identity-verification, background-check and mapping/navigation providers;
• Customer-support tooling, analytics and fraud-prevention vendors.

7.3 With Government and Law Enforcement

We may disclose information to comply with applicable law, a court order, or a lawful request from a government or law-enforcement authority, including under the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2020 and any Tamil Nadu State aggregator scheme, or to protect the safety of any person.

7.4 Business Transfers

If Root Cabs undergoes a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of assets, Personal Data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the transferee agreeing to protect it consistently with this Policy.

7.5 Cross-Border Transfer

Root Cabs primarily stores and processes Personal Data within India. Where a service provider processes data outside India, this will occur only to the extent permitted under the DPDP Act and subject to contractual safeguards.

8. Marketing Communications

With your consent, Root Cabs may send promotional offers, referral campaigns and satisfaction surveys via SMS, e-mail, WhatsApp or push notification. You may opt out at any time through in-app settings, the unsubscribe link, or by writing to support@rootcabs.com. Opting out does not affect transactional messages (e.g., OTPs, booking confirmations).

9. Automated Decision-Making

Root Cabs uses automated systems for ride matching, ETA and fare calculation, route optimisation, fraud and duplicate-booking detection, and flagging unusual activity for manual review. Where an automated decision has a significant effect on a user, the user may request human review via Root Cabs Support.

10. Data Retention

Root Cabs retains Personal Data only as long as necessary, or as required under applicable law, including the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2020, tax/financial-record requirements, and limitation periods for legal claims.

11. Account and Data Deletion

Customers, Driver Partners and Vendors may request account deletion through the app or by writing to support@rootcabs.com. Before completing deletion, Root Cabs will require that:

• any upcoming or active bookings are closed;
• any withdrawable Wallet balance is settled or withdrawn per the Wallet & Customer Money Policy;
• for Driver Partners and Vendors, pending change requests, verification documents, payout requests and support tickets are resolved.

Root Cabs will thereafter erase or anonymise Personal Data within a reasonable period, except where retention is required by law, for disputes, fraud prevention, or enforcing our Terms. Deleted accounts and forfeited Wallet balance may not be recoverable.

12. Data Security

Root Cabs implements reasonable security practices under Section 43A of the IT Act, 2000 and SPDI Rules, including OTP-based authentication, encryption in transit, role-based access controls, secure cloud infrastructure, continuous monitoring, firewalls and periodic security assessments. No method of transmission is completely secure - report suspected unauthorised access to security@rootcabs.com immediately.

13. Your Rights as a Data Principal

Subject to the DPDP Act and applicable exemptions, you have the right to:

• obtain a summary of the Personal Data being processed and the processing activities undertaken;
• request correction, completion or updating of your Personal Data;
• request erasure of Personal Data no longer necessary for its collected purpose, subject to legal retention requirements;
• withdraw consent at any time, with prospective effect;
• nominate another individual to exercise these rights on your behalf in the event of death or incapacity;
• grievance redressal, as set out in Section 15.

Requests may be submitted to support@rootcabs.com and will be addressed within DPDP Act timelines. Root Cabs may request reasonable proof of identity before acting on a request.

14. Children's Data

Root Cabs services are intended for individuals at least 18 years old and competent to contract. We do not knowingly collect a child's Personal Data without verifiable parental/guardian consent, and will delete it promptly if inadvertently collected.

15. Grievance Redressal and Data Protection Contact

In accordance with the DPDP Act and IT Rules, 2021, Root Cabs designates the following contact point:

If unsatisfied, you may escalate to the Data Protection Board of India, once operational.

16. Third-Party Links and Services

The Platform may link to or integrate third-party websites, maps, payment gateways or communication tools that maintain their own privacy policies. Root Cabs is not responsible for the privacy practices of such third parties.

17. Changes to this Policy and Governing Law

Root Cabs may update this Policy to reflect changes in law, technology or business operations. Material changes will be notified through the app, SMS or e-mail. This Policy is governed by the laws of India, with courts at Vellore/Chennai, Tamil Nadu having exclusive jurisdiction, without prejudice to the arbitration clause in the Terms of Service.

18. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy, write to support@rootcabs.com or contact Root Cabs Support at +91 860 860 6474.