Terms & privacy
Please read these Terms
These Terms of Service are a legally binding agreement between you and Drive Buddy. By creating an account, listing a vehicle, making a booking or otherwise using Drive Buddy, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use Drive Buddy.
1. About Drive Buddy and these Terms
“Drive Buddy” (also styled “DriveBuddy”) is a self-drive car-rental marketplace operated as a sole proprietorship by Kiran S Pujara, with its principal place of business at Shop No. 208, Gold Coin Plaza, Opp. Railway Station Road, Varachha, Surat, Gujarat 395003 (“Drive Buddy”, “we”, “us”, “our”). GST status: not currently registered under GST.
We operate the website at drivebuddycar.com, the Drive Buddy mobile application, and all related features (together, the “Platform”). Additional terms may apply to specific features (the rental agreement you sign for each trip, promo-code terms, referral and loyalty-points terms); where they apply they form part of these Terms and, in case of conflict, control for that feature.
We may update these Terms from time to time (see section 24). The version in force is the one published on the Platform, with its “Last updated” date.
2. Definitions
- Guest / Renter — a user who books and takes a vehicle for a trip.
- Host — a user who lists a vehicle and makes it available for rental.
- Vehicle — a motor vehicle listed on the Platform by a Host.
- Listing — the page and information a Host publishes for a Vehicle.
- Booking — a confirmed reservation of a Vehicle for defined dates/times.
- Trip — the period from when the Guest takes possession of the Vehicle to when it is returned.
- Rental Agreement — the trip-specific contract between the Host and the Guest that the Guest signs electronically through the Platform.
- Security Deposit — the refundable amount the Host collects and holds directly from the Guest (in cash or, where offered, as collateral) at handover, to cover the deductions described in section 9. Drive Buddy never collects or holds the Security Deposit.
- KYC — the identity-verification process in section 6.
3. What Drive Buddy is — and is not
Drive Buddy is a marketplace and an intermediary only. We provide an online platform that lets Hosts list Vehicles and Guests discover, book and pay for them, and that generates and stores the Rental Agreement for each Trip. Drive Buddy is an “intermediary” under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and a “marketplace e-commerce entity” under the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020.
The rental contract is strictly between the Host and the Guest. For every Trip the Vehicle is owned or lawfully controlled by the Host and rented by the Host to the Guest under the Rental Agreement. Drive Buddy is not the owner, lessor, bailor, operator or a party to that Rental Agreement, and does not own, lease, control, inspect, maintain, insure or operate any Vehicle. Drive Buddy is not a transport operator, travel agent, cab aggregator or carrier and does not employ or supervise drivers.
We do not guarantee the existence, quality, safety, legality, roadworthiness or condition of any Vehicle, the accuracy of any Listing or User Content, or the identity, conduct or reliability of any Host or Guest. Any screening or verification we perform (including KYC and the pickup identity check) is a limited, good-faith measure and not a warranty. When we help resolve a Host–Guest dispute we act as a neutral facilitator; our determinations on deductions and refunds are administrative under these Terms and do not limit either party’s rights before a court.
4. Eligibility and your account
To use the Platform you must be an individual at least 18 years old, competent to contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872, and not barred from receiving services under any law. To book or drive a Vehicle you must also (a) hold a valid, subsisting driving licence valid in India for the class of the Vehicle, (b) complete KYC, and (c) meet any further requirements shown on the Listing (a Host may set a higher minimum age or require minimum driving experience).
You must provide accurate, current and complete information and keep it updated. You may hold only one account. You are responsible for all activity under your account and for keeping your credentials and one-time passwords confidential; notify us immediately at drivebuddysurat@gmail.com if you suspect unauthorised use. You may not transfer or share your account, let another person book or drive using your verified identity, or register on someone else’s behalf or with false information.
5. Acceptable use
You agree not to, and not to help or permit anyone else to:
- use the Platform for any unlawful, fraudulent or harmful purpose, or in breach of these Terms, the Rental Agreement or any law (including the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and rules under it);
- provide false, misleading or impersonating information, including during KYC or the pickup identity check;
- book a Vehicle for anyone other than yourself as driver, unless every intended driver is separately named, KYC-verified and Host-approved;
- contact a Host or Guest, or complete a transaction, outside the Platform to avoid fees, KYC, the Rental Agreement or Platform protections (“platform circumvention”);
- post Content that is defamatory, obscene, hateful, infringing, invasive of privacy or otherwise unlawful, or that you have no right to post;
- interfere with or disrupt the Platform or its security; scrape, crawl or harvest data; use bots; or reverse-engineer, decompile or copy any part of the Platform except as permitted by law;
- upload malware or attempt unauthorised access to any account, system or data;
- infringe our or anyone else’s intellectual-property, privacy or other rights.
6. Identity verification (KYC)
Before your first Booking is allotted, and again where we reasonably require it, you must complete government ID verification. This uses DigiLocker, accessed through our verification partner Sandbox.co.in, to confirm your name and retrieve your Aadhaar and driving-licence details from official sources based on the consent you give inside the DigiLocker flow.
For this step we store only the minimum verification data: your verified name, your Aadhaar number masked to the last four digits only, your driving-licence number, name and expiry, the DigiLocker reference ID, and the verification timestamp. We never store your full Aadhaar number, the raw DigiLocker documents, or the Aadhaar photograph.
Face verification. Before each Booking, and again at handover, you must complete a face-verification check through our verification partner Didit: a live selfie inside the app confirms, automatically, that you are a real, live person (not a photo, printout or screen replay), and, at handover, that the person collecting the Vehicle is the same person who passed that check. This involves automated processing of your facial image solely to confirm your identity for that Trip — see the Privacy Policy for how this photo is stored, shared and deleted. If the check fails, or you decline it, the Host or Drive Buddy may refuse or delay handover. If the handover check fails twice for the same Booking, the Booking is cancelled and the amount paid online is forfeited, as shown in the app before you attempt the check.
We may decline, pause or cancel a Booking, and may suspend an account, if verification fails, appears manipulated or cannot be completed, or if a licence is expired, suspended, disqualified or invalid for the Vehicle.
7. Bookings
A Listing is an invitation to book, not an offer. A Booking is confirmed only when the Platform shows it as confirmed and payment has been authorised or received; Vehicle allotment is subject to successful KYC and payment. You must use the Vehicle only for the dates, times and purpose in the Booking and Rental Agreement. Extensions require the Host’s approval through the Platform and payment of additional charges; returning late without approval is a breach and attracts late charges (section 9) and liability for the Host’s lost bookings.
Modifications and early returns are handled through the Platform and may carry charges or non-refundable amounts shown at the time. Refunds for unused time are not guaranteed and depend on the Listing’s terms. If you do not collect the Vehicle within the grace period shown and have not arranged a change with the Host, it is treated as a no-show and no refund of the trip fare is due. (No Security Deposit is collected until handover, so a no-show has no deposit to refund.)
8. Prices, payment and taxes
Amounts. The price for a Trip — base rental, any distance/fuel components, fees, the Security Deposit, and taxes — is shown on the booking summary before you confirm. Prices are set by the Host; Drive Buddy adds a booking/convenience fee and, where applicable, retains a commission from the Host’s payout. The commission is not a single fixed rate — Drive Buddy may agree a different percentage, or a flat amount instead of a percentage, with a particular Host. The rate or amount that applies is always shown to the Host before a Listing goes live and again on each booking’s payout summary. The standard rate shown at listing is 30% of the trip fare unless a different rate has been agreed with that Host.
Collection. At booking you choose one of two payment methods: pay in full online — Drive Buddy collects the trip fare online and the Security Deposit is paid by you directly to the Host, in cash, at handover; or pay the booking commission online, rest at pickup — Drive Buddy collects only its booking/convenience commission online, and you pay the balance of the trip fare and the Security Deposit directly to the Host, in cash, at handover. Under both methods, the Security Deposit is always paid to, and held by, the Host — Drive Buddy never collects, receives or holds the Security Deposit, in any amount and by any method. Online amounts are collected through our third-party payment partner (currently Razorpay). By paying online, you authorise that partner and Drive Buddy to charge the amounts shown. Card, UPI, bank and wallet details are handled by the payment partner; Drive Buddy does not receive or store full payment credentials.
Settlement to Hosts. Drive Buddy remits the Host’s share of amounts collected online after deducting our fee/commission and any amounts properly withheld under these Terms, on the cycle notified to Hosts. Payouts are currently made by manual bank transfer, referenced by a transaction/UTR number, and a Host must provide valid bank details and a Permanent Account Number (PAN) — required for tax (TDS) compliance — before payouts begin. Drive Buddy holds funds it collects online as a payment facilitator, not as a trustee, and no interest is payable on any amount held. Drive Buddy does not hold, and this does not apply to, the Security Deposit (section 9).
Taxes. All amounts are subject to GST and other applicable taxes and levies, shown separately where required. Hosts are responsible for their own tax registration, invoicing and payment on rental income.
Promo codes and rewards. Discounts, promotional credits, loyalty points and referral rewards are subject to their own terms, have no cash value, cannot be transferred or encashed, and may be varied, suspended or withdrawn. We may reverse rewards obtained through error, abuse or fraud.
Failed or reversed payments. If any payment is declined, charged back or reversed, we may suspend the Booking or account, offset the amount against other sums owed to you (including Host payouts), and recover the balance as a debt.
9. Security Deposit
A refundable Security Deposit is collected directly by the Host, in cash, at the time of Vehicle handover, in the amount shown on the booking summary — for every Booking, regardless of which payment method you chose. Drive Buddy is never paid, and never holds, the Security Deposit. Some Listings instead allow a two-wheeler or other collateral to be left with the Host in place of a cash deposit; where that option is used the deposit line reads “kept as collateral” and the collateral is returned when the Vehicle is returned in order. The Security Deposit (or collateral arrangement) is recorded in the Rental Agreement.
After the Vehicle is returned, the Host and Drive Buddy assess whether deductions apply. Deductions may be made for, without limitation:
- damage to, or loss or theft of, the Vehicle, its parts, accessories, documents or keys, beyond fair wear and tear, to the extent not met by the Vehicle’s insurance (including the insurance deductible/excess and amounts the insurer declines);
- traffic fines, e-challans, penalties, toll/parking dues and impounding charges relating to the Trip;
- a shortfall in fuel against the level at handover;
- excessive cleaning, deodorising or detailing needs (for example, from smoking, pets or spillage);
- unauthorised late return, on the per-hour/day basis shown, plus the Host’s demonstrable loss of subsequent bookings;
- recovery, towing, storage or transport costs caused by the Guest;
- any other amount the Guest owes under the Rental Agreement or these Terms.
The Host, not Drive Buddy, returns the un-deducted balance of the Security Deposit (or the collateral) to the Guest directly, at or promptly after the return assessment is completed. Where an incident, insurance claim or dispute is open, the Host may reasonably withhold the whole or part of the Security Deposit until it is resolved. If deductions exceed the Security Deposit, the Guest remains liable to the Host for the excess and agrees to pay it on demand; Drive Buddy may assist in recovery under section 21 but does not itself charge, collect or hold this amount. A Guest who disputes a deduction made by the Host may raise a grievance under section 21; because Drive Buddy does not hold the Security Deposit, we act only as a facilitator — we will review the Host’s evidence and the Guest’s response and share a good-faith recommendation, which does not prevent either party from going to court.
10. Cancellations and refunds
Cancelling a Booking is a request that Drive Buddy reviews — it is not an automatic change of status. For a Guest-initiated cancellation of a confirmed Booking, made before the Trip has started, the following default schedule applies to the trip fare paid online (this does not include the Security Deposit, which is never paid to Drive Buddy — see section 9): 100% refund if cancelled 48 hours or more before the start time; 50% refund if cancelled between 24 and 48 hours before; no refund if cancelled less than 24 hours before. A cancellation requested once the Trip has started is treated as a dispute between Host and Guest and does not carry an automatic refund. In every case, Drive Buddy reviews the request and may approve a different refund amount at its reasonable discretion (for example for a Host’s non-performance, a safety issue, or a genuine emergency); this is an administrative determination and does not limit either party’s right to go to court or a consumer forum. Approved refunds are returned to the original online payment method within a reasonable period, subject to payment-partner timelines.
Host cancellation. If a Host cancels a confirmed Booking, or fails to make the Vehicle available in a usable and lawful condition at the agreed time and place, the Guest is entitled to a full refund of the trip fare paid online for that Booking. We may assist in finding an alternative Vehicle but do not guarantee one, and (except for the refund) Drive Buddy is not liable for a Host’s cancellation or non-performance.
Cancellation by Drive Buddy. We may cancel a Booking if KYC fails, if we reasonably suspect fraud, safety risk or breach of these Terms, if the Listing is found non-compliant, or if required by law or a competent authority. Where the cancellation is not caused by the Guest’s breach, the Guest receives a full refund of the trip fare paid online.
Force majeure. Neither party is liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond its reasonable control (natural disaster, extreme weather, riot, strike, government action, network or power failure, epidemic/pandemic restrictions, etc.). Where a Trip cannot proceed for such a reason we will refund the trip fare paid online for the unused portion; neither party owes the other further compensation. Where a Security Deposit has already been paid in cash to the Host, its return is a matter directly between the Host and the Guest.
Refunds are always made to the original payment method. We do not pay refunds in cash or to a different account.
11. Guest responsibilities during a Trip
For the whole Trip, the Guest agrees to:
- drive lawfully and hold, and carry, a valid licence for the Vehicle at all times; ensure any additional driver is named, KYC-verified and Host-approved, and not permit any un-approved person to drive;
- not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs; not use the Vehicle for any race, rally, test, towing, off-roading, driving instruction, carrying passengers or goods for hire or reward, transport of hazardous or illegal goods, or any illegal activity; not carry more persons or load than the Vehicle is rated for; and not take the Vehicle outside any geographic limits in the Booking without the Host’s written approval;
- look after the Vehicle — keep it locked and secure, protect it from weather and damage, check fluids/tyre pressure on longer trips, use the correct fuel, and not leave keys or documents unattended in the Vehicle;
- pay all running costs during the Trip — fuel, tolls/FASTag, parking, charging;
- be responsible for all traffic violations, fines, e-challans and penalties arising during the Trip, and authorise the Host to recover these (including from the Security Deposit the Host holds) and to share the Guest’s details with the authorities as required by law;
- report immediately any accident, damage, breakdown, theft, seizure, challan or mechanical warning to the Host and to Drive Buddy, and cooperate fully (including with police and insurer formalities — see section 13);
- return the Vehicle on time, to the agreed place, in the same condition as at handover (fair wear and tear excepted), with the same fuel level and all documents, keys and accessories.
12. Guest liability
From handover to return, the Guest has care, custody and control of the Vehicle and is responsible for it. The Guest is liable to the Host for any loss of or damage to the Vehicle (including theft, total loss, and damage to tyres, wheels, underbody, interior and windscreen), and for third-party death, injury or property damage, arising during the Trip, to the extent such loss is not actually paid by the Vehicle’s insurer. This includes the insurance deductible/excess, depreciation/salvage shortfall, claim-related charges, and any amount an insurer refuses because of how the Vehicle was used (for example, an invalid licence, drink/drug driving, use outside the policy, or breach of section 11). The Guest is also liable for the Host’s reasonable, demonstrable loss of rental income while the Vehicle is repaired or replaced following Guest-caused damage, subject to a fair cap in the Rental Agreement or determined by us acting reasonably.
Drive Buddy does not insure the Vehicle, the Guest or any third party, and does not provide any damage waiver, excess protection or collision-damage cover. No such product is offered on the Platform. The Guest should satisfy themselves about the Vehicle’s insurance cover and its exclusions before the Trip. The Guest indemnifies the Host and Drive Buddy against claims, losses, fines, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal costs) arising from the Guest’s use of the Vehicle or breach of these Terms or the Rental Agreement.
13. Accidents, breakdown, theft and seizure
In the event of an accident, breakdown, theft, fire, seizure or impounding, the Guest must: stop safely; not admit fault or liability; take photographs/video of the scene, the Vehicle and any other vehicle or property involved; obtain the other party’s and any witnesses’ details; report the matter to the police and obtain an FIR/GD entry where the law requires or the Host or insurer asks for one; and notify the Host and Drive Buddy immediately through the Platform, including uploading the required photos/videos. The Guest must not authorise repairs, move a badly damaged Vehicle (except to make the scene safe or as directed by police), or settle with a third party, without the Host’s consent, and must cooperate with the Host’s insurer. Failure to follow this section may make the Guest fully liable for the loss.
14. Location and telematics during a Trip
For safety, customer support, anti-theft and vehicle-recovery purposes, the Vehicle’s location may be tracked during an active Trip, using GPS telematics fitted to the Vehicle and/or, where you enable it, location shared from your device. By taking a Trip you consent to this tracking for the duration of the Trip. Live Vehicle location is visible only to the Host and to authorised Drive Buddy administrators, not to other users. Location data is retained and deleted as described in the Privacy Policy.
15. Listing a Vehicle (Host terms)
By listing a Vehicle you represent and warrant, for the whole time it is listed and on every Trip, that:
- you own the Vehicle or have the registered owner’s and any financier’s/lessor’s written authority to rent it out on a self-drive basis;
- the Vehicle is roadworthy, properly maintained and safe, and free of any defect that would make it unsafe or unlawful to drive;
- the Vehicle has, and will keep current, valid registration, a valid Pollution-Under-Control (PUC) certificate, valid motor insurance appropriate for renting the Vehicle out on a self-drive basis, and any permit, fitness certificate or other approval required by law for the way it is being rented (including under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the relevant state rules and any applicable rent-a-cab / self-drive scheme);
- the Listing (photos, features, condition, mileage, fuel type, documents, rules, price, location) is accurate, not misleading and kept updated;
- you will hand the Vehicle over clean, safe, with the agreed fuel level and with all valid documents, and will honour confirmed Bookings;
- you will not discriminate against any Guest on any ground prohibited by law;
- you comply with all tax, registration and other legal obligations relating to your rental activity.
Hosts must record the Vehicle’s condition, odometer and fuel at handover and return (with photos), conduct the pickup identity check, and use the Platform’s Rental Agreement for every Trip. The Host is solely responsible for the legal status and condition of the Vehicle and indemnifies Drive Buddy and the Guest against claims, losses, fines and costs arising from any breach of this section, from a defect in the Vehicle, from missing or invalid documents or insurance, or from the Host’s acts or omissions. Drive Buddy is not liable to any Guest for a Host’s breach beyond the refund remedy in section 10. Drive Buddy may verify a Vehicle’s documents before or after a Listing goes live and may suspend or remove a Listing that is non-compliant, unsafe, inaccurate or the subject of repeated complaints; this verification is a limited check and not a warranty. Before a Vehicle can be listed and go live you must separately read and electronically sign Drive Buddy’s Host Service Agreement, incorporated by reference into these Terms for Hosts, and provide valid bank/UPI details and your Permanent Account Number (PAN), required for tax (TDS) compliance.
16. Ratings, reviews and User Content
Guests and Hosts may rate and review each other and a Trip. Reviews must be genuine, based on a real Trip, and must not contain unlawful, abusive or personal/sensitive information. We may remove reviews that break these rules but do not otherwise edit them and are not responsible for their content.
You retain ownership of Content you submit and grant Drive Buddy a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sub-licensable licence to host, store, reproduce, adapt, publish and display that Content to operate, promote and improve the Platform. You confirm you have all rights needed to grant this licence and that the Content infringes no one’s rights. All Platform software, design, text, graphics, logos and the “Drive Buddy” name and marks are owned by or licensed to Drive Buddy and may not be used without our prior written permission.
17. Third-party services
The Platform relies on third-party services (identity verification, payments, maps, messaging, hosting, telematics). Your use of those features may also be governed by the third party’s terms. We are not responsible for third-party services and their availability is not guaranteed. The main processors are listed in the Privacy Policy.
18. Disclaimers
To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Platform is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy or uninterrupted or error-free operation. We do not warrant that any Vehicle will be available, safe, roadworthy, legally compliant or as described, or that any Host or Guest will perform. Your dealings with any Host or Guest are at your own risk. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law, including under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, or for death or personal injury caused by our proven negligence, or for fraud.
19. Suspension and termination
You may stop using the Platform at any time and may ask us to close your account (subject to completing any open Trip, payment or dispute, and to our retention obligations in the Privacy Policy). We may suspend or terminate your access, remove a Listing, or cancel a Booking, with notice where practicable, if you breach these Terms, the Rental Agreement or the law; if KYC fails or your licence becomes invalid; if we reasonably suspect fraud, safety risk or misuse; if a payment is reversed or unpaid; or if required by law or a competent authority. On termination your right to use the Platform ends; sections that by their nature should survive (including 3, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21 and 25) continue in force.
20. Limitation of liability
Subject to section 18, Drive Buddy (including its proprietor, employees and agents) is not liable for: any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive loss; loss of profit, revenue, business, goodwill, data or anticipated savings; the acts, omissions, conduct or Content of any Host, Guest or third party; the condition, safety, legality, insurance status or performance of any Vehicle; any accident, injury, death, damage, fine, theft or loss occurring during or in connection with a Trip; or any matter outside our reasonable control.
Subject to section 18, Drive Buddy’s total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with the Platform and these Terms, for all claims taken together, is limited to the greater of (i) the total booking/convenience fees and commission actually received by Drive Buddy from you in the three (3) months immediately before the event giving rise to the claim, or (ii) ₹5,000.
21. Grievance redressal and dispute resolution
Grievance Officer (under the Information Technology Act, 2000, the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023):
- Kiran S Pujara, Grievance Officer, Drive Buddy
- Email: drivebuddysurat@gmail.com
- Phone: +91 93132 28001
- Address: Shop No. 208, Gold Coin Plaza, Opp. Railway Station Road, Varachha, Surat, Gujarat 395003
How to raise a grievance. Contact us first, by phone or email, with your name, contact details, account/booking reference, and a clear description of the issue and what you would like done. We will acknowledge a complaint within 48 hours and aim to resolve it within 15 days (or sooner where the law requires). Complaints about unlawful content are actioned within the timelines set by the IT Rules, 2021.
Dispute resolution. If you have a dispute with Drive Buddy, you agree to raise it first through the contact route above and to work with us in good faith to resolve it. If it is not resolved within 30 days of being raised, either party may pursue the matter before the courts.
Governing law and jurisdiction. These Terms and any dispute relating to them or the Platform are governed by the laws of India. Subject to the step above, the courts at Surat, Gujarat have exclusive jurisdiction and you consent to that venue. Nothing here prevents a consumer from approaching a Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission having jurisdiction, or a Data Principal from complaining to the Data Protection Board of India.
22. Marketplace disclosures (Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020)
- Legal name of the marketplace entity: Kiran S Pujara, sole proprietor, trading as “Drive Buddy”.
- Principal geographic address: Shop No. 208, Gold Coin Plaza, Opp. Railway Station Road, Varachha, Surat, Gujarat 395003.
- Website: drivebuddycar.com.
- Customer care / grievance contact: drivebuddysurat@gmail.com, +91 93132 28001.
- Grievance Officer: as above.
- Sellers on the marketplace: Vehicles are supplied by independent Hosts. Before you confirm a Booking, the Listing shows the Host’s identity indicator, the Vehicle’s location area, price, rules and cancellation terms. Communication between Host and Guest takes place through Drive Buddy’s in-app trip chat — Hosts and Guests are not given each other’s phone number or email address — and Drive Buddy relays anything that requires direct contact. Hosts are contractually required to comply with these Rules.
- Drive Buddy does not manipulate prices unfairly, does not give any Host or Vehicle undue preference, and does not misrepresent the quality of any Vehicle or service.
23. Changes to the Platform
We may add, change, suspend or withdraw features of the Platform, or the whole Platform, at any time. Where a change materially reduces a paid feature you are currently using, we will give reasonable notice and, where appropriate, a pro-rata refund.
24. Changes to these Terms
We may amend these Terms. The updated Terms take effect when posted on the Platform with a new “Last updated” date, except that changes required by law take effect immediately. For material changes we will give notice (by email or an in-app notice) before they take effect. Continuing to use the Platform after the effective date means you accept the updated Terms; if you do not agree you must stop using the Platform and may close your account.
25. General
- Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, the Rental Agreement and any feature-specific terms are the entire agreement between you and Drive Buddy about the Platform.
- Severability. If any provision is held invalid or unenforceable, it is severed and the rest continue.
- No waiver. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.
- Assignment. You may not assign your rights or obligations without our consent. We may assign or transfer ours to a successor of the business, including on incorporation of the proprietorship into a company, on notice to you.
- Relationship. Nothing here creates a partnership, joint venture, agency or employment between you and Drive Buddy.
- Notices. We may give notice by email, by a message in the Platform, or by posting on the Platform. You give notice to us at drivebuddysurat@gmail.com.
- Language. These Terms are in English, the governing language of the agreement.
26. Contact
Drive Buddy — Kiran S Pujara, sole proprietor. Shop No. 208, Gold Coin Plaza, Opp. Railway Station Road, Varachha, Surat, Gujarat 395003. Email drivebuddysurat@gmail.com · Phone +91 93132 28001.
About this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Drive Buddy collects, uses, shares and protects your personal data when you use the Platform. It is a notice under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”) and the Information Technology Act, 2000 and its rules, and forms part of our Terms of Service. Where the law requires consent we ask for it separately and you may withdraw it as described in section 9.
1. Who is responsible for your data
The Data Fiduciary is Kiran S Pujara, sole proprietor trading as “Drive Buddy”, principal place of business Shop No. 208, Gold Coin Plaza, Opp. Railway Station Road, Varachha, Surat, Gujarat 395003.
For privacy questions and to exercise your rights, contact our Grievance Officer: Kiran S Pujara — drivebuddysurat@gmail.com, +91 93132 28001, Shop No. 208, Gold Coin Plaza, Opp. Railway Station Road, Varachha, Surat, Gujarat 395003.
2. The data we collect
Data you give us — name, mobile number, email, password or one-time passwords, profile photo (if added), your city/area, and, if you sign in with Google, your Google account name and email; we also keep a record of the date/time, IP address and version of these Terms and this Policy you accepted, as proof of consent. If you list a vehicle: vehicle registration number, make/model/year, photos and features, location area, pricing and rules, a photo or scan of the vehicle’s Registration Certificate (RC) — which we process, including by automated text-extraction (OCR) through a verification partner, to pre-fill and verify your Listing’s details — the bank account or UPI ID and Permanent Account Number (PAN) for payouts (required for tax/TDS compliance), and — before your first Listing goes live — your signed Host Service Agreement (name, address, PAN, drawn signature, and the date/time, IP address and device used to sign it). Booking and trip data: the vehicles you view and book, dates and locations, messages sent through the Platform, your drawn signature on the Rental Agreement and the date/time and device used to sign it. Support and safety: the content of support requests, incident and accident reports, and photos or videos you upload as evidence. Reviews and ratings, and referral invitations you choose to send.
Payments — from our payment partner we receive a limited record of each online transaction (amount, status, payment reference, method, card type / last four digits). We do not collect or store your full card number, CVV, bank login or UPI PIN. The refundable Security Deposit is paid by you directly to, and held by, the Host in cash (or as agreed collateral) at vehicle handover — Drive Buddy never collects, receives, processes or holds the Security Deposit or any record of its refund, whichever payment method you choose for the trip fare.
Identity-verification (KYC) data — verified in two steps. (a) Government ID and licence check (one-time): done through DigiLocker, accessed via our verification partner Sandbox.co.in, based on the consent you give inside the DigiLocker flow. We receive and store only: your verified name; your Aadhaar number masked to the last four digits only (e.g. XXXX XXXX 1234); your driving-licence number, the name on it and its expiry date; the DigiLocker reference ID and the verification timestamp. We do not collect or store your full Aadhaar number, the raw DigiLocker documents or XML, or the Aadhaar/UIDAI photograph. We do not use Aadhaar for any authentication beyond the identity check you consented to, and not as a database key. (b) Face verification (each booking): before each Trip you take a live selfie inside the app, which we send to our verification partner Didit to confirm, automatically, that it is a live person (not a photo, printout or screen replay — a “liveness check”) and, at handover, that the person collecting the Vehicle is the same person who passed it (a “face match”). This involves automated processing of your facial image — a form of biometric data — solely to confirm your identity for that Trip. We do not use it for any other form of facial recognition, do not compare it against any other person’s photo or any database, and Didit does not use it to train any AI/ML model.
Face-verification photo — the live selfie from step (b) above is stored and used to let Didit run the automated checks, and to show the host (and, where needed, our team) a reference photo at handover so they can also visually confirm the person collecting the vehicle is you. It is shared only with Didit and, for that one Trip, the relevant host. It is retained as set out in section 8, is not used to build a facial-recognition profile of you, and is not used for any purpose beyond verifying your identity for that Trip.
Data collected automatically — IP address, device and browser type, operating system, app version, language, approximate (city-level) location from your IP, and usage/log data (pages and screens viewed, features used, actions and timestamps, referring pages, diagnostic/crash information). Cookies and browser local storage — see section 11.
Location data during a trip — during an active trip, and only for its duration, the vehicle’s location may be collected from GPS telematics fitted to the vehicle and/or, if you enable it, from your device, for safety, customer support, anti-theft and vehicle recovery. Live vehicle location is visible only to the host and to authorised Drive Buddy administrators — not to other users — and is deleted as set out in section 8.
Children’s data — the Platform is for adults (18+). We do not knowingly collect data from children; if we learn we have, we will delete it.
3. How we use your data, and our legal grounds
We process your data on the grounds available under the DPDP Act — performance of our contract with you, your consent, compliance with legal obligations, and certain legitimate uses (such as fraud prevention and safety). We use your data to:
- create and manage your account and authenticate logins;
- verify your identity and driving licence (KYC) before allotment, and run the automated liveness/face-match check and show the host your verification photo and verified name at handover;
- process bookings, online payments, payouts and refunds of amounts paid online;
- generate, store and make available the Rental Agreement;
- provide customer support and handle grievances;
- enable trip safety, tracking, accident response and vehicle recovery;
- prevent, detect and investigate fraud, misuse and breaches of our Terms;
- comply with tax, accounting and other legal obligations and respond to lawful requests;
- improve and secure the Platform, fix bugs and understand aggregate usage;
- send you service messages (booking updates, receipts, security alerts), and — only with your consent — promotional messages about Drive Buddy, which you can opt out of at any time.
We do not carry out automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you without human involvement.
4. Who we share your data with
We share the minimum necessary, and only as follows.
Between users, to make a trip happen. The host of a vehicle you book sees your name, verified/KYC status, your face-verification photo, your masked Aadhaar (last four digits), your driving-licence details, and your booking details. The guest who books your vehicle (if you are a host) sees your name/host indicator, the vehicle details and the pickup location. Hosts and guests are not shown each other’s phone number or email address. All communication about a trip takes place through Drive Buddy’s in-app trip chat, and Drive Buddy relays anything that requires direct contact. Ratings and reviews you post are shown publicly with your first name and profile photo.
Service providers (data processors) acting on our instructions:
- Supabase — cloud database, authentication and file storage; data may be hosted on infrastructure outside India (see section 6).
- Sandbox.co.in — DigiLocker-based identity and driving-licence verification, and OCR extraction of vehicle Registration Certificate (RC) details.
- Didit — automated liveness check and face-match verification, before and at pickup of each Trip; governed also by Didit’s own privacy policy.
- Razorpay — payment processing, payouts and refunds for amounts paid online; collects your payment details directly under its own privacy policy.
- Resend — sending transactional and account emails.
- Fast2SMS — sending login/verification SMS (OTP).
- WheelsEye — GPS telematics for vehicles fitted with its device.
- Google — “Sign in with Google” and Google Maps for map display; also governed by Google’s privacy policy.
- OpenStreetMap / Nominatim — converting addresses to map locations.
We require each processor to protect your data, use it only for the purpose we specify and not disclose it further.
Legal, safety and protection of rights. We may disclose data to police, courts, regulators, insurers or other authorities where we believe in good faith it is necessary to comply with a law, legal process or lawful request; enforce our Terms or the Rental Agreement; deal with a traffic challan, accident, theft or insurance claim relating to a trip; or protect the rights, property or safety of Drive Buddy, our users or the public.
Business transfer. If the proprietorship is incorporated into a company, or the business (or part of it) is transferred, your data may be transferred to the successor entity, which will remain bound by this Policy or one at least as protective; we will notify you of any such change.
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.
5. Advertising and analytics
We do not run third-party advertising on the Platform and do not share your personal data with advertising networks or data brokers. We use only basic first-party diagnostics and aggregate usage counts to keep the Platform working and improve it. If we introduce third-party analytics or advertising in future, we will update this Policy and obtain consent where the law requires it.
6. Storage location and cross-border transfer
Your data is primarily processed in India. Some of our service providers may store or process data on servers outside India. Where that happens, we transfer data only to countries not restricted by the Government of India for this purpose, and we put contractual safeguards in place. The DPDP Act and its rules continue to apply to that data.
7. How we protect your data
- Data is held in a database with row-level access controls, so a user’s records are readable only by that user or, for support and moderation, an authenticated Drive Buddy administrator.
- Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS).
- Staff access is limited to those who need it, subject to confidentiality obligations.
- Each time an administrator views a user’s KYC record, the access is logged (who viewed it and when) for accountability.
- Secret keys for verification and payment services are kept on the server side, never in the browser or app.
- Your face-verification photo is used only for the automated liveness/face-match check and the host’s handover check — never for any other form of facial recognition, and never matched against any other person’s photo.
No system is perfectly secure. If a personal-data breach occurs, we will notify the Data Protection Board of India and affected users as required by the DPDP Act and its rules.
8. How long we keep your data
We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purposes above or as required by law. Indicative periods:
- Account and profile data — while your account is active, then up to 3 years after closure.
- KYC data (verified name, masked Aadhaar last-4, DL details, DigiLocker reference) — duration of the account and up to 8 years after your last booking, for tax, contractual and dispute-defence purposes.
- Rental Agreements and signature records — 8 years from the end of the trip.
- Host Service Agreement and signature record (Hosts only) — 8 years from the date signed.
- Face-verification photo (liveness/pickup) — deleted or overwritten within 90 days of trip completion, unless retained longer for an open incident, claim or dispute.
- Vehicle RC image and OCR-extracted data (Hosts) — duration of the Listing and up to 8 years after it is removed, for verification, tax and dispute-defence purposes.
- Payment, invoice and payout records — 8 years (tax and accounting law).
- Trip location / telematics logs — 90 days, then deleted or aggregated.
- Accident / incident reports and media — until the related claim or dispute is closed, then up to 3 years.
- Support communications — 3 years.
- Marketing consent records — until you withdraw consent, then up to 3 years as proof of the consent history.
After the applicable period we delete or irreversibly anonymise the data, keeping only the minimum needed to comply with law, resolve disputes or enforce our agreements.
9. Your rights
Subject to the DPDP Act, you have the right to: access a summary of the personal data we hold about you and how we process it; correct, complete or update inaccurate or incomplete data; erase your personal data where it is no longer needed and no law requires us to keep it; withdraw consent at any time where our processing is based on consent (this does not affect processing already done, and may mean you can no longer use parts of the Platform — for example, you cannot book without KYC); nominate another individual to exercise your rights if you die or become incapacitated; and have your grievance addressed by our Grievance Officer.
To exercise them, update most profile details yourself in your account settings, or contact the Grievance Officer (section 1) for anything else. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting, and will respond within the time the law allows. Some requests — such as account deletion — may be delayed or limited where an open trip, payment, dispute or a legal retention obligation applies. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India; consumers may also approach the appropriate Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
10. Your responsibilities as a Data Principal
Under the DPDP Act, you must not impersonate another person when providing data, suppress material information when providing data for any document or identifier, or file a false or frivolous grievance or complaint. Please provide verifiably authentic information.
11. Cookies and similar technologies
We use a small number of cookies and browser local-storage items: strictly necessary ones to keep you signed in, keep your session secure and make core features work; preference ones to remember choices such as your theme, filters and recent searches (stored locally in your browser); and third-party embeds — Google Maps and web fonts load from Google servers, which means your IP address is visible to Google when those elements load. We do not currently use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; if you do, some features may not work. If we add analytics or advertising technologies in future, we will update this Policy and, where required, ask for your consent first.
12. Links to other sites
The Platform may link to third-party websites or services (for example, a payment page). This Policy does not apply to them; please read their privacy policies.
13. Marketing communications
We send service messages (booking confirmations, receipts, agreement links, security and safety alerts, grievance responses) as part of providing the Platform — these are not marketing and you cannot opt out of them while you have an account. Promotional messages (offers, new features) are sent only with your consent, and every one includes a way to opt out; you can also opt out at any time by contacting us.
14. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy. The current version is always on the Platform with its “Last updated” date. For material changes we will give notice (by email or an in-app notice) before they take effect. Continuing to use the Platform after that date means you acknowledge the updated Policy.
15. Contact
Grievance Officer: Kiran S Pujara. Drive Buddy — Kiran S Pujara, sole proprietor. Shop No. 208, Gold Coin Plaza, Opp. Railway Station Road, Varachha, Surat, Gujarat 395003. Email drivebuddysurat@gmail.com · Phone +91 93132 28001. You may also raise a concern from your .