Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

SIA Rides is a technology platform that connects passengers seeking transportation with independent drivers. This Privacy Policy explains how personal information is collected, used, shared, stored and protected across the SIA Rides Passenger App, Driver App, website, admin and support systems, and related services (collectively, the “Services”).

The Services are operated by [REGISTERED COMPANY NAME] (Registration number [REG NUMBER]), trading as “SIA Rides”. SIA Rides respects your privacy and processes personal information in accordance with applicable South African law, including the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (“POPIA”).

This Policy is effective from [EFFECTIVE DATE] and was last updated on [LAST UPDATED DATE].

In this Policy: “SIA Rides”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to the operator identified above; “Passenger” means a user who requests rides; “Driver” means an independent driver providing transportation through the Platform; “User” means any Passenger, Driver or other person using the Services; “Services” has the meaning above; “Personal Information” has the meaning given in POPIA; “Processing” means any operation performed on personal information; and “Responsible Party” means the party that determines the purpose and means of processing.

2. POPIA and Our Role as Responsible Party

For the purposes of POPIA, the Responsible Party that determines how and why personal information is processed through the Services is:

This Policy serves as our privacy notice, informing you about how personal information is collected, used, processed, stored, shared and protected.

3. Personal Information We Collect

Account and identity information: name, surname, mobile number, email address, profile photo, date of birth where required, account ID and authentication information.

Passenger information: saved locations where applicable, pickup and destination locations, ride history, passenger count, ratings and reviews, support communications and account activity.

Driver information: name and contact details, profile photo, ID or passport information where required, driver’s licence information, vehicle information (registration number, make, model, colour), driver verification information, eligibility documentation, ratings, reviews and trip history.

Special personal information: certain information, such as criminal-background information (where lawfully processed for verification) or any biometric information, may constitute special personal information under POPIA and is subject to additional restrictions. Where we process such information, we do so only where permitted by law and with appropriate safeguards.

4. Location Information

Location is fundamental to the Services. Depending on your role and settings, we may collect: current GPS coordinates; pickup location; destination; driver location; passenger location where required; location while a ride is active; driver location while online or available; background location from the Driver App; the route travelled; location timestamps; speed or movement information where applicable; and approximate location derived from your device or network.

Foreground vs background location. Foreground location is collected while you are actively using the app. Background location is collected while the app runs in the background — primarily for Drivers who are online.

Why Drivers are tracked while online. Background location for online Drivers is used to find nearby ride requests, dispatch rides, show passengers the driver’s position, provide navigation, support safety, calculate trips and investigate disputes.

When tracking starts and stops. Location collection generally starts when it is needed for the Service (for example, when a Driver goes online or a Passenger requests a ride) and stops when it is no longer required (for example, when a Driver goes offline or a ride ends), subject to information needed for safety, billing or dispute purposes.

5. Ride and Transaction Information

During a trip, information is created including: the ride request; pickup and destination; requested time; the driver and passenger assigned; the route; distance; duration; estimated fare; final fare; ride status; cancellations; PIN or ride verification; ratings and reviews; date and time; payment method; and wallet transactions.

6. Payment and SIA Wallet Information

SIA Rides uses a prepaid wallet model. We process information relating to your wallet balance, deposits and top-ups, ride charges, refunds, transaction references, payment-provider information and transaction history.

Card and bank account details are processed by our third-party payment providers. SIA Rides does not store your full card details on its own systems; those details are handled directly by the relevant payment provider in accordance with their security standards and privacy terms.

7. Device and Technical Information

We automatically collect certain technical information, including device type, operating system, app version, IP address, device identifiers, push-notification token, login information, crash and error logs, security logs, usage information and network information.

This information is used for security, fraud prevention, troubleshooting and improving the Services.

8. How We Collect Information

• Directly from you when you register, use the app or contact support;
• Automatically through the app and device permissions (including GPS);
• During rides;
• From Drivers or Passengers in connection with a ride;
• From payment providers;
• From identity and driver-verification providers;
• From customer-support interactions;
• From service providers who help us operate the Services;
• From authorities where legally permitted or required.

9. Why We Process Personal Information

We process personal information to, among other things:

• Create and maintain accounts;
• Connect passengers and drivers, and find nearby drivers;
• Dispatch ride requests and calculate fares;
• Provide navigation;
• Process payments and maintain wallet balances;
• Provide customer support and send ride notifications;
• Prevent fraud and maintain platform security;
• Investigate complaints, handle lost-property enquiries and resolve disputes;
• Enforce the SIA Rides Terms and Conditions;
• Meet legal and regulatory obligations;
• Improve the Services and perform analytics;
• Send marketing where legally permitted;
• Protect passengers, drivers and SIA Rides.

10. Legal Basis for Processing

We do not rely on consent alone. Depending on the processing operation, personal information may be processed where: you have consented; processing is necessary to perform our agreement with you; processing is required by law; processing protects a legitimate interest of yours; or processing is necessary for the legitimate interests of SIA Rides or a third party, subject to POPIA. Each processing operation is assessed against the conditions for lawful processing under POPIA.

11. Sharing Between Passengers and Drivers

To provide a ride, certain information is shared between the Passenger and the Driver.

A Driver may see the passenger’s first name, rating, number of completed rides, pickup location, destination or area where applicable, and ride-related information.

A Passenger may see the driver’s name, photo, rating, vehicle make, model and colour, registration number, and current or approaching location.

This information may only be used for purposes connected with the ride and must not be used for any other purpose.

12. Who We Share Information With

We may share personal information with:

• Passengers and Drivers, as described above;
• Payment processors;
• Cloud and database providers;
• Mapping and navigation providers;
• SMS and email providers;
• Push-notification providers;
• Analytics providers;
• Identity and driver-verification providers;
• Customer-support providers;
• Professional advisers;
• Insurers where applicable;
• Law-enforcement and regulatory authorities where legally required;
• Other service providers necessary to operate the Services.

Where we engage service providers to process personal information on our behalf, we require them to process it only for the agreed purposes and to protect it appropriately.

13. Google Maps and Location Services

Mapping is central to the Services. Location and address information may be sent to mapping providers for address search, geocoding, route calculation, distance calculation, ETA calculation and navigation. Those providers’ own privacy policies and terms may also apply to their processing.

14. Ratings and Reviews

Passengers and Drivers can rate and review one another. We collect the rating and any review, which may be used to display an average rating, maintain service standards and inform matching and eligibility. We may moderate reviews, act on abusive or fraudulent reviews, and retain ratings information for the periods described in this Policy.

15. Automated Processing and Dispatch

Automated systems may be used to identify nearby drivers, rank eligible drivers, send ride offers, match drivers and passengers, calculate estimated prices, detect suspicious behaviour and identify potential fraud.

The dispatch system may consider factors such as distance from the passenger, driver availability and other relevant ride or driver criteria. Where automated decision-making has legal or similarly significant effects, we handle it in accordance with POPIA.

16. Communications and Notifications

We may communicate with you through push notifications, SMS and email, including ride updates, driver-arrival notifications, security notifications, account messages and service announcements. These transactional and service communications are part of providing the Services and are distinct from optional marketing communications.

17. Direct Marketing

We may send marketing communications where permitted by law, obtaining consent where required. You can unsubscribe from marketing at any time using the mechanism provided in the communication or by contacting us. Withdrawing marketing consent does not stop necessary operational or service communications. POPIA contains specific provisions relating to unsolicited electronic communications and direct marketing, which we observe.

18. Cookies and Website Tracking

Our website may use essential cookies, analytics, session cookies and, where used, advertising or marketing cookies, as well as related third-party technologies. Where required, you can manage your cookie preferences. Essential cookies are necessary for the website to function.

19. Information Security

We apply reasonable technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal information, which may include encryption, secure communications, authentication, access controls, restricted administrative access, database security, monitoring and logging, backups, incident response and periodic security reviews.

While we take security seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. POPIA requires us to safeguard personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised destruction and unlawful access or processing, and we work to meet that obligation.

20. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose, or as required or permitted by law. Retention periods vary by category, including account information, ride history, location history, payment records, wallet transactions, support conversations, ratings and reviews, driver documentation, security and fraud records, financial and tax records, and records relating to legal disputes.

21. Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account through the app or by contacting us. Following deletion, personal information is handled as follows:

• Deleted — where SIA Rides no longer needs it;
• Anonymised or de-identified — where identifying information is removed so that the remaining information can no longer reasonably identify you;
• Retained — where required or permitted for legal, financial, fraud-prevention, dispute or regulatory reasons, for the periods required or permitted by law.

22. User Rights Under POPIA

Subject to applicable law, you may request:

• Confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you;
• Access to your personal information;
• Correction or updating of your personal information;
• Deletion or destruction of your personal information;
• To object to certain processing;
• To withdraw consent where processing depends on consent;
• To lodge a complaint about how your personal information is processed.

23. How to Exercise POPIA Rights

To exercise your rights, contact us using the details below:

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request, to protect your personal information.

24. Complaints to the Information Regulator

You have the right to lodge a complaint with South Africa’s Information Regulator regarding the processing of your personal information. The Information Regulator is the independent regulator established under POPIA. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concern.

25. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Some of our service providers, including cloud infrastructure providers, may process personal information outside South Africa. Where personal information is transferred across borders, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place and handle such transfers in accordance with POPIA.

26. Children's Privacy

You must be 18 years or older to create a SIA Rides account. We do not knowingly create accounts for children. Where a ride involves a minor, it is arranged and accompanied in accordance with applicable law and our Terms. If we become aware that we have processed a child’s personal information other than as permitted by law, we will take appropriate steps in line with POPIA.

27. Law Enforcement and Legal Requests

We may disclose personal information where we are legally required or permitted to do so, including in response to court orders, subpoenas, lawful police requests, regulatory requirements or investigations, to protect users or the public, or to establish, exercise or defend legal rights. We assess such requests and disclose information only to the extent lawfully required or permitted, rather than automatically on demand.

28. Data Breaches and Security Incidents

If personal information is compromised, we will investigate, contain and remediate the incident, and, where required, notify affected users and the Information Regulator in accordance with POPIA.

29. Third-Party Services

The Services integrate with external services, which may include mapping, payments, cloud and database infrastructure, email and SMS providers, and app-store services. Those services may have their own privacy practices, and their processing is governed by their own terms and privacy policies.

30. Changes to the Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be published with its effective date, and we may notify you of material changes. Where consent is legally required for new processing, we will request appropriate consent. If you do not wish to continue using the Services under an updated Policy, you may stop using SIA Rides and request deletion of your account.

31. Contact SIA Rides