Drive Ease (Chaalak) – Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how M/S. Drive Ease (“Drive Ease”, “we”, “us”, “our”), which operates the Chaalak app and chaalak.live, collects, uses and protects your information when you use our mobile application, website and driver–user matching services (collectively, the “Service”).

This policy applies to both:

• Users who book trips using the Drive Ease app.
• Drivers who provide driving services through the Drive Ease platform.

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you use Drive Ease (as a user or driver), we may collect the following types of information:

2.1 Account & profile information

• Name (first and last name)
• Mobile number
• Email address
• Profile photo (for drivers, if uploaded)
• App login credentials (password stored in a secure format)

2.2 Trip & usage information

• Pickup and drop locations
• Trip type (local, outstation, one-way, round-trip, etc.)
• Journey date, time and duration
• Car details (such as type, transmission, etc.)
• Fare, payment method and trip status (booked, accepted, started, completed, cancelled, etc.)
• Trip reviews, ratings and feedback you provide
• Trip car photos (before and after photos, if captured in the app)

2.3 Location data

With your permission, we collect and process location data from your device (GPS, nearby Wi-Fi, mobile networks) to:

• Show your location on the map (for users and drivers)
• Match users with nearby drivers
• Provide live trip tracking and estimated arrival times
• Record start and end points of trips for safety and records

You can control location permissions from your device settings, but some features may not work correctly if location access is disabled.

2.4 Driver-specific information

If you register as a driver, we may also collect:

• Date of birth and gender
• City and typical service locations
• Driving licence number, validity and licence photos
• Identity document number and ID photos
• Bank account details (for payouts)
• Reference contact details (if provided)

2.5 Device & technical information

• Device type and operating system
• App version
• Anonymous usage logs and crash reports (to improve app stability)
• Push notification tokens (for trip alerts and updates)

3. How we use your information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• To create and manage user and driver accounts.
• To match users with available drivers and manage trip bookings.
• To calculate fares, process payments and generate trip records.
• To show live trip status and improve navigation and pickup accuracy.
• To communicate about bookings, cancellations, support and important updates.
• To improve our app, services, user experience and driver quality.
• To enhance safety, resolve disputes and prevent misuse or fraud.
• To comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

4. Sharing of information

We do not sell your personal information. However, to provide the Service, we may share certain information in the following situations:

• Between users and drivers: For each trip, essential details like name, pickup/drop locations, mobile number, and car/trip details may be shared to complete the service safely.
• Service providers: We use third-party providers for hosting, analytics, maps/navigation, SMS/email/push notifications and payment processing. These providers are expected to handle data only for the services they perform for us.
• Legal and safety reasons: We may share information with authorities or other parties when required by law, to respond to legal requests, or to protect our rights, users, drivers or the public.

5. Payments and third-party payment providers

Trip fares are currently paid in cash to the driver. Amounts payable online (for example a cancellation charge) are processed by a third-party payment gateway (currently PayU), which collects your payment details (UPI ID, card or net-banking information) on its own secure payment page.

• We do not store your full card number, CVV, UPI PIN or net-banking credentials.
• We receive from the gateway the transaction status, amount, transaction/reference ID and payment method, and we keep these for our records, support and refunds.
• The gateway handles your payment details under its own privacy policy and terms.

6. Cookies and website analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working (for example, to keep you signed in) and Google Tag Manager to manage measurement and analytics tags. These tools may collect information such as pages visited, device and browser type, and approximate location from your IP address.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; some parts of the site may not work properly if you do.

7. Data storage, retention and deletion

Your information is stored on servers used by Drive Ease and its hosting providers. We keep your information for as long as your account is active and as necessary to provide the Service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. Trip-related records (such as trip history, payments, reviews and important logs) may be retained for a longer period where required for safety, accounting or regulatory reasons.

Deletion requests: you can ask us to delete your account and personal data by contacting us using the details below, from your registered mobile number or email. We will delete or anonymise the data we are not required to keep.

8. Data security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or alteration, including storing passwords in a secure (hashed) form and handling online payments through a third-party payment gateway. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your rights & choices

Under applicable Indian law, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to access the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to request deletion of certain data, subject to legal requirements.
• Right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent (e.g. marketing messages or location access).
• Right to restrict or object to certain types of processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in the “Contact us” section below. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

10. Children’s privacy

The Drive Ease Service is intended for users aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe that a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

11. Third-party links & services

The Drive Ease app or website may contain links to third-party sites, services or content. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third parties. We recommend that you review the privacy policies of any external sites or services you use.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies or legal requirements. When we do, we will publish the updated policy on this page with a new effective date. Current effective date: 9 October 2026.

13. Contact us for privacy queries

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you want to exercise your data rights, please contact us using the details below: