Carpooler (“we”, “us”) runs ridecarpooler.com, a website that helps families and drivers organize shared rides to activities. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who can see it, and the choices you have. Using Carpooler is also subject to our Terms of Service.
The short version: we collect only what's needed to schedule your carpool, we show it only to the other members of your carpool, and we never sell it or use it for advertising.
Information we collect
Almost everything we have is information you type in yourself:
- Account information. When you sign in, our sign-in provider (Clerk) collects your email address and, if you choose to give it, your name. If you sign in with Google, we receive the name and email address on your Google account.
- Your carpool profile. Your first and last name, email address, the address or addresses where riders are picked up and dropped off, and how many passengers you can drive.
- Your riders. The first names (and last names, if different from yours) of the people you need rides for, who are often children, and which days and times they need rides.
- Your availability. Which days you can drive to and from the activity.
- Carpool details. If you create a carpool: its name, the activity's name and location, and its dates and times, plus your time zone (from your browser) so the schedule knows what "today" is.
- Ride history. Who drove each past ride, and any rides you've said you can't make or offered to drive, so the schedule stays fair over time.
We also receive a small amount of information automatically: our hosting provider keeps standard server logs (such as IP addresses, browser type and the pages requested) to run and secure the website.
We do not collect payment information, phone numbers, government ID numbers, or your device's location. Addresses are only ever ones you enter.
How we use your information
- To build a fair driving schedule for your carpool and show each driver their pickups, drop-offs and route.
- To send you emails about your carpool: a welcome summary when you create or join one, updates the carpool's organizer chooses to send, a monthly schedule if the organizer turns that on, a note to the organizer when someone asks to join, and a note when a ride in the coming week is handed to you.
- To show you notifications in the app about your carpools, such as join requests, people joining or leaving, schedule changes and rides handed to you. We keep your 50 most recent.
- To sign you in, keep your account secure, and make sure only members can see a carpool's details.
- To keep the website running, fix problems and prevent abuse.
We don't use your information for advertising or profiling, and we don't sell it, rent it, or share it for anyone else's marketing.
Who can see your information
- Members of your carpool can see members' names, pickup and drop-off addresses, riders' names, availability and the schedule. Drivers need these to do the pickups.
- Email addresses are not shown to other members.
- When you ask to join a carpool, its organizer sees your name and your riders' names before deciding whether to let you in. If they decline, your request is deleted.
- Anyone who isn't a member can't see anything about a carpool's members, even with its join code. To join, a person must sign in, and the join screen only shows the carpool's name, activity and dates.
- Carpool emails include the recipient's own drives and the pickup addresses on their route.
Service providers we use
We rely on a few companies to run Carpooler. They handle your information only to provide their service to us:
- Clerk: sign-in and account management (your email, name and sign-in sessions).
- Google: only if you choose “Continue with Google” to sign in.
- Netlify: hosts the website and stores carpool information.
- Resend: delivers our emails (your email address and the email's contents).
- Apple Maps or Google Maps: addresses link to the maps app you choose for directions. Apple or Google receives an address only when you tap one of those links.
- Your calendar app: if you add your carpool to a calendar (such as Apple Calendar or Google Calendar), that service fetches your upcoming rides, with their riders and addresses, from a private link. Anyone with that link can see them, so you can reset it at any time from the Export tab.
- Mapbox: suggests matching addresses as you type one in. Our server sends Mapbox what you type in address boxes, and your approximate area (worked out by our host from your IP address) so nearby addresses come first. We save only the address you enter, not anything else from Mapbox.
We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the safety of our users or others.
Cookies and similar technologies
- Sign-in cookies. Clerk sets cookies that keep you signed in. They're necessary for the website to work.
- Local storage. While you create a carpool, your browser temporarily saves the carpool details you've entered (not your personal details) so they aren't lost when you sign in. It's removed once the carpool is created and ignored after 24 hours.
- We don't use advertising cookies, analytics or tracking tools, or tracking pixels (“web beacons”).
Children's information
Carpooler is meant to be used by parents, guardians and other adults, not by children. We don't knowingly collect information directly from children under 13. Adults may enter the names of the children they're arranging rides for, and that information is used only to schedule rides and is visible only to members of that carpool. If you believe a child has given us information directly, contact us and we'll delete it.
Emails and your choices
Every update and monthly schedule email has an unsubscribe link. Unsubscribing stops those emails for that carpool but keeps you in the carpool.
Keeping and deleting your information
- You can update your riders and addresses at any time from your carpool's page.
- Leaving a carpool (“Leave group” on the carpool's page) deletes your details and your riders from that carpool. A carpool and all of its information are deleted when its last member leaves.
- Deleting your sign-in account doesn't automatically remove you from your carpools, so leave them first, or email us and we'll delete everything for you.
- Otherwise we keep carpool information for as long as the carpool exists. Our providers may keep server logs and backups for a limited time.
Your rights
You can ask us to tell you what information we have about you, to correct it, or to delete it by emailing us at the address below. Depending on where you live (for example California, the European Union or the United Kingdom), you may have additional rights under local law, such as the right to object to or restrict certain uses. We'll respond within the time the law requires, and we won't treat you differently for making a request.
Security
The website uses encrypted (HTTPS) connections, requires you to sign in, and only shows a carpool's details to its members. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and limit who can see it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update it here and change the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll let carpool members know by email.
Contact us
Questions, requests or concerns about your privacy: [email protected]