Privacy Policy

SaathChalo (“we”, “our”, or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our commute-sharing application and website (saathchalo.co.in).

This policy complies with:

• Information Technology Act, 2000 (India)
• Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices) Rules, 2011
• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP)

2.1 Information you provide

• Phone number (required for authentication)
• Full name
• Profile photo (optional)
• Work email address (optional)
• Gender (used for Women-Only safety feature)
• Home and office location addresses
• Emergency contact details (name and phone number)

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Device type and operating system
• App usage data and crash reports
• Location data (only during active rides, with your permission)
• Push notification tokens

2.3 Information we do NOT collect

• Payment information (SaathChalo is free)
• Aadhaar number (verification done via third-party KYC, raw data never stored)
• Contacts list
• Photos or camera (except profile photo you explicitly upload)

We use your information to:

• Verify your identity via OTP
• Match you with nearby commuters on similar routes
• Enable in-app chat with your commute buddies
• Share your live location during rides (only with matched buddy and emergency contacts)
• Send push notifications about matches and messages
• Calculate and display your CO₂ savings
• Improve our matching algorithm

Location access is critical to SaathChalo's function:

• Home/Office locations: Stored permanently to calculate route matches
• Live location during rides: Broadcast in real-time to your commute buddy and emergency contacts only. NOT stored permanently on our servers.
• Location permissions: You can revoke location access anytime in your phone settings. This will disable live location sharing during rides.

We never sell or share your location data with advertisers or third parties.

If you identify as female and enable Women-Only Mode:

• You are only visible to other female users
• You only see female users in match results
• This filter is enforced at the database level
• Your gender information is used solely for this safety feature

We share your data only in these circumstances:

• Commute buddies: Your name, photo, rating, and general area are visible to matched users
• Emergency contacts: Your live location is shared during rides with contacts you designate
• Firebase (Google): For phone OTP verification
• Supabase: Our database provider (Mumbai region)
• Legal requirements: If required by Indian law or court order

We never sell your personal data to third parties. We never share your data with advertisers.

• All data stored in India (Supabase Mumbai region)
• Data encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Database access restricted to authorized personnel
• Phone numbers never shared between users without mutual consent
• Passwords: We don't use passwords. OTP-based authentication only.

• Account data: Retained until you delete your account
• Live location during rides: Not stored (real-time only)
• OTP sessions: Deleted after 10 minutes
• Chat messages: Retained for 1 year after last activity
• On account deletion: All personal data deleted within 30 days

Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act:

• Right to access: Request a copy of your data
• Right to correction: Update incorrect information
• Right to erasure: Delete your account and data
• Right to grievance: Contact our grievance officer
• Right to nominate: Nominate someone to exercise rights on your behalf

To exercise these rights, contact us at: privacy@saathchalo.co.in

SaathChalo is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect data from minors.

As required by Indian IT laws, our Grievance Officer:

We will notify you of significant changes via:

• In-app notification
• Email (if provided)
• Update notice on saathchalo.co.in