Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 5 May 2026

Last Updated: 5 May 2026

Vanakkam Taxi (“we”, “us”, “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard the personal information of our Users and Drivers (“you” or “Data Principal”) in compliance with Indian law (DPDP Act 2023, IT Act 2000) and relevant Tamil Nadu regulations.

By registering or using Vanakkam Taxi’s services, you consent to the practices described in this policy. If you disagree with any part, please do not use our platform.

Account Information: When you register, we collect your name, phone number or email, and create a user ID. For Drivers, we additionally collect driver’s license number, vehicle information, and upload of government ID/photographs for verification.

Usage Data: We collect device identifiers (IP, device ID), app usage logs, and cookies for session management.

Location and Trip Data: During each trip, we receive GPS coordinates and timestamps from the Driver’s device, which we use to record the route, distance, and duration.

Transactions: We log subscription and token purchase details (but do not store payment card data). We track your token balance and usage history.

Support and SOS: If you file a complaint or trigger an SOS alert, we record the details (time, location, user/driver ID) to address the issue.

We use personal data to:

Facilitate ride bookings and matching Users with Drivers.

Verify Driver eligibility (KYC) and comply with legal permits and insurance requirements.

Process subscriptions, tokens, and maintain account status.

Ensure safety (e.g. monitor routes, respond to SOS events).

Communicate with you (booking confirmations, account notifications).

Improve our service through analytics and quality control.

Comply with laws and protect against fraud or misuse.

We process your data on the following grounds:

Consent: You expressly consent to our use of your data for the purposes above (by accepting this policy).

Contract: Data processing is necessary to perform our service agreement with you (e.g. to book rides, process payments).

Legal Obligation: We must process certain data to comply with MV Act regulations and DPDP requirements (e.g. retaining records).

Legitimate Interests: When applicable, for fraud prevention, security, and platform improvements.

We use cookies and similar tools to manage your login session and gather anonymous analytics. For example, cookies allow you to stay logged in and enable load balancing.

You may disable nonessential cookies in your browser settings, but core functionality (like login) may be affected.

We keep your personal data only as long as needed:

Account and contact data: retained during account activity and for up to 3 years after account closure.

KYC and identity documents (Driver): up to 7 years after your account is deleted.

Trip and GPS logs: 1 year from trip completion, then deleted/anonymized.

Transaction logs: 10 years (for audits).

Support tickets and complaints: 5 years after resolution.

At the end of each period, data is securely deleted or anonymized.

In accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, Users and Drivers (“Data Principals”) are entitled to the following rights:

1. Right to Access Information You have the right to request a summary of the personal data processed by Vanakkam Taxi, including details of how such data has been collected, used, and shared.

2. Right to Correction and Erasure You may request correction of inaccurate or outdated personal data and request deletion of your personal data, subject to applicable legal or regulatory retention requirements.

3. Right to Withdraw Consent You may withdraw your consent for data processing at any time. Upon withdrawal, certain features of the Platform may become unavailable.

4. Right to Grievance Redressal You have the right to raise concerns regarding the processing of your personal data. Such grievances will be addressed within a reasonable time as required under applicable law.

5. Right to Nominate You may nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity, as permitted under applicable law.

Vanakkam Taxi may store and process personal data on servers located within India or in jurisdictions outside India, including through third-party service providers.

Where personal data is transferred outside India, Vanakkam Taxi ensures that such transfers are carried out in compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and any applicable government notifications or restrictions.

Appropriate safeguards, including contractual obligations and security measures, are implemented to ensure that personal data remains protected in accordance with applicable standards.

We employ industry-standard security measures:

Encrypting data in transit (HTTPS) and at rest.

Strict access controls and authentication for our staff.

Regular security audits and penetration testing.

Anonymizing data wherever possible.

Incident response plan: In case of a data breach, we will notify the Data Protection Board and affected individuals promptly.

Under the DPDP Act, you have rights to:

Access: Obtain a copy of your personal data held by us.

Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data.

Erasure: Ask for deletion of data (subject to retention laws).

Consent Withdrawal: Revoke consent for processing (which may stop certain services).

Portability: Request transfer of your data in a usable format.

Grievance: Lodge complaints about our data practices.

To exercise these rights, contact our Grievance Officer (contactable through vanakkamtaxi@gmail.com / @vankakkamtaxi). We will respond within 30 days.

Our platform is not for users under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If we learn of such data, it will be deleted immediately.

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in law or practice. The “Last Updated” date at the top indicates when it was last revised. We encourage you to review the policy periodically.

For any questions about this Privacy Policy, email us at vanakkamtaxi@gmail.com.

By clicking “I Agree” or registering on Vanakkam Taxi, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.