Drive Ease (Chaalak) – Terms & Conditions

1. About us and the service

M/S. Drive Ease, registered at 16 STRAND ROAD, 5TH FLOOR, ROOM NO - 521, KOLKATA 700001 WEST BENGAL INDIA (“Drive Ease”, “we”, “us”), owns and operates the Chaalak mobile application and the website chaalak.live (together, the “Platform”).

Drive Ease is a technology platform that lets customers (“you”, “User”) book independent, verified drivers (“Drivers”) who drive the customer's own vehicle for local, hourly, outstation, airport/station, event and similar trips, as shown in the app. Drive Ease does not own or operate vehicles and does not itself provide transportation. Drivers are independent service providers and are not employees or agents of Drive Ease.

By accessing or using the Platform or making a booking, you agree to these Terms together with our Privacy Policy, Cancellation Policy and Refund Policy, which form part of these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

2. Eligibility and your account

• You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into a contract.
• You register with your mobile number (verified by OTP) and basic profile details. Keep them accurate and up to date.
• You are responsible for activity under your account and for keeping your OTPs and login details confidential.
• We may suspend or close an account that has false information or breaches these Terms.
• The Platform is for your personal use; you may not book on behalf of a third party without their knowledge or resell the service.

3. How booking works

1. Choose the service type, vehicle details (such as car type and transmission), pickup and drop locations, date, time and duration in the app or on the website.
2. The app shows an estimated fare before you confirm. Confirming creates a booking request; it is not a guarantee of a particular driver.
3. The request is sent to available Drivers. Your booking is confirmed when a Driver accepts it and is assigned; you are notified in the app.
4. On the trip, a start OTP is used to begin the journey. Your trip status, driver details and trip history are available in your account.
5. When the trip ends, the final fare is shown and you can rate the Driver.

4. Customer responsibilities

• Give accurate pickup/drop locations, date, time, trip type and vehicle details. Wrong or incomplete information may change the fare or prevent the trip.
• Make sure the vehicle you hand over is legally registered, roadworthy and insured, and that its documents are available. You remain the owner/responsible person for the vehicle.
• Be present at the pickup point at the booked time and treat the Driver with respect.
• Do not ask the Driver to break any law, carry illegal items or drive in an unsafe manner.
• Pay the fare and any charges that apply to your trip.

5. Fares, payment methods and payment confirmation

• All prices are in Indian Rupees (INR). Fares depend on the service type, city, duration/distance and applicable charges (for example waiting time or night charges) shown in the app. The final fare is shown at the end of the trip.
• Tolls, parking, fuel and other vehicle-related costs are borne by you at actuals, unless the app states otherwise.
• Trip fare: at present, trip fares are paid in cash directly to the Driver at the end of the trip. We will update this page if other payment methods are enabled.
• Online payments: amounts payable online (for example a cancellation charge) are processed by a third-party payment gateway (currently PayU) using the methods it offers, such as UPI, cards and net banking. We do not store your full card details. Your payment is treated as confirmed only after the gateway confirms it to us; until then the status may show as pending.
• We are not responsible for failed or delayed transactions caused by your bank, the payment gateway or network issues. If money is debited but not confirmed, see our Refund Policy.

6. Driver availability and booking changes

• Driver availability depends on your location and time. We do not guarantee that a driver will be available for every request. If none can be assigned, the booking does not proceed and you are not charged for it.
• A Driver may cancel after accepting. If that happens you are not charged, and an equivalent credit may be applied to your account as described in the Cancellation Policy.
• Trip details can be changed only through our support team while the booking has not started. Changes may alter the fare. Please contact support using the details below.

7. Cancellations and applicable charges

You can cancel an upcoming booking from your account. Cancelling before a driver is assigned is free. Cancelling after a driver has been assigned carries a flat cancellation charge of ₹100, which is added to your account and can be paid now or later. Full details are in the Cancellation Policy; refunds are covered in the Refund Policy.

8. Prohibited use

• Using the Platform for any unlawful, fraudulent or harmful purpose.
• Making fake bookings, misusing offers or promo codes, or providing someone else's payment details without authority.
• Interfering with the security or operation of the Platform, or copying or reverse-engineering it.
• Harassing, threatening or discriminating against Drivers, other users or our staff.

9. Service limitations and liability

• Drive Ease facilitates access to independent Drivers. We carry out verification of Drivers, but such checks cannot be guaranteed to be complete or error-free.
• The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis; we do not promise uninterrupted or error-free service.
• To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, or for loss, damage, delay or accidents arising from a trip arranged through the Platform, except where caused by our own proven fault. Our aggregate liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid to Drive Ease for the booking concerned.
• Events beyond our reasonable control (for example severe weather, strikes, government restrictions, network or power failures) may delay or prevent service, and we are not liable for that.
• Nothing in these Terms limits any right you have under applicable consumer-protection law that cannot lawfully be limited. See also our Disclaimer.

10. Complaints and dispute resolution

1. Complaints: write or call us using the contact details below with your trip ID and a description of the issue. We will review it and respond.
2. Amicable resolution: disputes are first to be resolved by good-faith discussion between you and Drive Ease.
3. Arbitration: if a dispute is not resolved within fifteen (15) days of discussions starting, it is referred to a sole arbitrator under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The seat and venue is Kolkata, West Bengal, and the language is English.
4. Law and courts: these Terms are governed by the laws of India, and subject to the arbitration clause above the courts at Kolkata, West Bengal have exclusive jurisdiction. Either party may seek urgent interim relief from a competent court.

11. Intellectual property

The Drive Ease and Chaalak names, logos, app, website content and software belong to or are licensed to us and may not be copied, modified or distributed without our written permission.

12. Suspension and changes to these Terms

We may suspend or end access if these Terms are breached or if required by law. We may update these Terms from time to time; the updated version and its effective date will be published on this page, and continued use after that means you accept the changes.

13. Business and contact information

Effective date: 9 October 2026