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Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026 · Version 1.3 (October 10, 2026)

RideNeighbor™ ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your information when you visit rideneighbor.com, join our waitlist, or create an account and use the RideNeighbor mobile app (together, the "Service").

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide when you join the waitlist

• Email address
• Phone number
• Commute information (where you commute from and to)
• Any other information you voluntarily provide through our forms

Information you provide when you create an account and use the app

• Account information: your name, email address, and password (stored by our hosting platform in protected form)
• Profile information: your profile photo and whether you are using the app as a rider or a driver
• Commute information: your commute start and end addresses, days of the week, and departure times
• Preferences: optional preferences such as vibe, music or podcast, pets, smoking, temperature, and gender preference for matching
• Ride activity: ride requests, matches, confirmations, cancellations, and the cost-share amounts that you and another user confirm in the app
• Messages and notifications: messages you send to other users through the app and the notifications the app creates for you
• Safety information: the users you block, and reports you submit about other users (including the reason and any details you write)
• Communications with us: messages you send to us for support
• Agreement records: the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and pilot waiver you accepted, with your name, email, the version numbers, and the date and time you accepted

Information collected automatically

• Your IP address, browser or device type, operating system, and pages or screens used
• A device token, if you allow push notifications, so we can send notifications to your device

Device permissions

• Camera and photo library: used only so you can take or choose a profile photo.
• Location: we use the addresses you enter to match you with nearby commuters and to estimate distance.
• Notifications: used to send ride and match alerts. You can turn these off in your device settings.

We do not use your microphone.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account
• Match you with other commuters and show you potential matches
• Let you request, confirm, and cancel rides, and keep a record of cost-share confirmations
• Let you message other users about a ride
• Send you updates about RideNeighbor's launch, matches, rides, and your account
• Keep the Service safe, including handling blocks and reports, investigating misuse, and enforcing our Terms of Service
• Improve our services and understand commuter needs
• Respond to your questions and requests
• Comply with legal obligations

3. SMS / Text Message Communications

If you provide your phone number when joining our waitlist, you consent to receive text messages (SMS) from RideNeighbor related to your waitlist status, launch updates, and pilot opportunities. Message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply.

• Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of any purchase.
• You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any message, or by contacting us at the email below.
• Reply HELP for assistance.
• We do not sell or share your phone number with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

4. What Other Users Can See

RideNeighbor is a carpooling platform, so some of your information is visible to other users:

• Potential matches can see your profile photo, your first name and last initial, your commute cities, your commute days and times, and your preferences.
• Your full street addresses are shared with a matched user only after a ride between you is confirmed.
• Messages you send are visible to the user you are messaging.
• Your email address and phone number are not shown to other users.
• If you block a user, you and that user stop seeing each other in the app. Blocking cancels any upcoming rides between you.

Please do not share sensitive information (such as financial details) in messages to other users.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• With other users, as described in Section 4
• With your consent
• To comply with legal obligations, such as a valid legal request
• To protect the rights and safety of RideNeighbor, our users, or others, including investigating reports and enforcing our Terms
• With service providers who help us operate the Service, as described in Section 6
• In connection with a merger, sale, or transfer of our business, in which case we will tell you if your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy

Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties for marketing purposes.

6. Service Providers

We use trusted companies to help us run RideNeighbor. They may process your information only to provide their services to us. They include:

• Bubble: hosting and database for the website and app
• Email delivery provider (through our hosting platform): sending account and notification emails
• Apple and Google: delivering push notifications to your device, and distributing the app
• Google: Google Forms and Google Sheets for the waitlist, and Google Maps services for addresses and distances
• SMS delivery provider: sending text messages to waitlist members who opted in

When we introduce paid subscriptions or identity verification, we will use a payment processor and an identity verification provider. We will update this policy before we begin and tell you what information they receive.

7. Data Storage and Security

Your waitlist information is stored through Google Forms and Google Sheets. Your account and app information is stored in our hosting platform's database. We use reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect your information, including access controls and encrypted connections. No system is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a breach affects your information, we will notify you as required by law.

8. Data Retention and Account Deletion

We keep your information while your account is active or while you are on our waitlist, and until you ask us to delete it or it is no longer needed for the purposes described in this policy.

Deleting your account in the app. You can delete your account at any time from Account & Security in the app. When you do:

• Your name, email, profile photo, commute information, preferences, and similar personal information are erased or replaced with anonymized values, and you can no longer log in.
• Your upcoming rides are cancelled, and the other person is notified that the ride was cancelled.
• Your blocked-user lists are cleared, and your notifications and match records are removed.
• Free-text content you wrote, such as ride messages and chat messages you sent, is blanked.
• We may keep limited ride records (such as dates, general route, and status) without your name where needed for legal, safety, fraud-prevention, or record-keeping reasons, for as long as those reasons apply.
• We keep records of the agreements you accepted, and the information needed to identify the account they belong to, for as long as needed to establish or defend legal claims.

Messages that other users sent to you stay in their own records, because they belong to those users. If you only want to leave the waitlist, or you want data removed without deleting an account, email us at the address below.

9. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your information
• Opt out of marketing communications, including SMS, at any time
• Withdraw consent at any time

To make a request, email us at the address below. We may need to verify your identity before we act on it. To keep this fair for everyone, we ask that these requests be limited to twice in any 12-month period.

10. California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (as amended) gives you additional rights:

• Right to know: to ask what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and why, and to receive a copy of the specific information we hold about you.
• Right to delete: to ask us to delete personal information we collected from you, subject to legal exceptions.
• Right to correct: to ask us to correct inaccurate personal information.
• Right to opt out of sale or sharing: we do not sell your personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, so there is nothing to opt out of.
• Right to non-discrimination: we will not treat you differently for using these rights.

In the past 12 months, we have collected these categories of personal information: identifiers and contact information (name, email, phone number, IP address); photos you upload; location and address information you provide; commercial and ride activity information; internet and device information; and the content of messages you send through the Service. We collect it for the purposes described in Section 2.

You can submit a request by emailing us at the address below, up to twice per calendar year. You may use an authorized agent to make a request for you. We will respond within the time required by law, which is generally 45 days.

11. Cookies and Do Not Track

Our website may use basic cookies to improve your browsing experience. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. Our website does not currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals.

12. Children's Privacy

RideNeighbor is not directed to children, and no one under the age of 18 may create an account or use the Service, with or without parental permission. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe we have collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately so we can delete it.

13. Changes to This Policy

We reserve the right to modify, update, or replace this Privacy Policy at any time, at our sole discretion and for any reason, with or without prior notice to you. We will post the updated version with a new date and version number, and we will notify users of significant changes by email or in the app. It is your responsibility to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after any changes are posted constitutes your agreement to the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

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Terms of Service

Last updated: October 2026 · Version 1.2 (October 8, 2026)

Welcome to RideNeighbor™. By accessing rideneighbor.com, joining our waitlist, or creating an account or using the RideNeighbor app, you agree to these Terms of Service. Please read them carefully.

1. About RideNeighbor

RideNeighbor™ is a carpooling platform that connects neighbors going the same direction to share commutes and split transportation costs. RideNeighbor is intended solely for transportation between home and work locations, or trips among users with a common work-related trip purpose. RideNeighbor is not designed or intended for on-demand, one-off, or general-purpose trips of any kind. RideNeighbor is not a rideshare service. We do not employ drivers, own vehicles, or provide transportation directly.

2. Waitlist & Account Terms

By joining our waitlist and/or creating a RideNeighbor account, you agree to:

• Provide accurate and truthful information, and keep it up to date
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Keep your login details private and be responsible for activity on your account
• Receive email communications from RideNeighbor about matches, updates, and your account
• Receive push notifications from the app about matches, rides, and your account, if you allow them in your device settings (you can turn them off at any time)
• If you provide a phone number, receive SMS/text communications from RideNeighbor about matches, updates, and pilot opportunities. Message and data rates may apply. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP.

Joining the waitlist or creating an account does not guarantee a match, create a contractual obligation, or constitute a purchase of any kind. Joining the waitlist and creating an account are both free; where a subscription fee applies, it is described separately in Section 10.

3. Acceptable Use

When using our website or platform you agree not to:

• Use RideNeighbor for any purpose other than transportation between home and work, or trips with a common work-related purpose
• Use RideNeighbor for on-demand, one-off, or general-purpose trips of any kind
• Provide false or misleading information, or use a photo that is not you
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
• Use our platform for any unlawful purpose
• Harass, threaten, abuse, stalk, or harm other users
• Send messages or post content that is sexually explicit, hateful, discriminatory, violent, or otherwise objectionable
• Use the app to advertise, sell, or solicit anything unrelated to carpooling, or to send spam
• Scrape or collect data from our website or app without permission
• Impersonate any person or entity

4. Your Content

You own the content you provide to RideNeighbor, such as your profile photo, profile details, and messages. By providing it, you give RideNeighbor a limited, non-exclusive license to host, store, and display that content to other users as needed to operate the Service (for example, showing your profile to potential matches and delivering your messages). You are responsible for your content and promise you have the right to share it. We may remove content that violates these Terms.

5. Intellectual Property

All content on rideneighbor.com and in the RideNeighbor app, including text, graphics, logos, and the RideNeighbor™ name and brand, are owned by RideNeighbor and protected by applicable intellectual property laws including our pending trademark registration. You may not use, copy, or reproduce any content without our express written permission.

6. Carpooling and Safety

You must be at least 18 years of age to request, offer, or participate in any ride arranged through RideNeighbor. As a user of the RideNeighbor app, by participating in a carpool arranged through RideNeighbor, you confirm that you meet this requirement and agree that you are responsible for:

• Your own safety during carpooling arrangements
• Complying with all applicable traffic and transportation laws
• If you drive: holding a valid driver's license, and keeping your vehicle properly registered, insured, and maintained
• Treating other users with respect and courtesy
• Only sharing costs — not profiting from rides
• Using RideNeighbor only for home-to-work commuting or trips with a common work-related purpose, consistent with Section 1 and Section 3 above

Insurance. RideNeighbor does not provide insurance of any kind. Your personal auto insurance may not cover carpooling, and you should check with your insurer.

RideNeighbor facilitates connections between neighbors but is not responsible for the actions of individual users during carpooling arrangements, and does not conduct background checks on your behalf except where explicitly stated in Section 7 below.

7. Verification & Badges

RideNeighbor is introducing identity and driver verification in stages, and not every verification feature is active yet.

• Identity verification: when this is available, a badge will show on the profiles of users who have completed an identity and address verification step.
• Driver verification: when this is available, a separate, optional badge will show on the profiles of drivers who have completed an additional background check.

8. Blocking, Reporting & Enforcement

RideNeighbor has no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive behavior. To help keep the community safe:

• Blocking: you can block another user from their profile or from a ride chat. When you block someone, you and that user stop seeing each other in the app, you can no longer message each other, and any upcoming rides between you are cancelled. You can unblock a user from Account & Security.
• Reporting: you can report a user from their profile or from a ride chat, or email us at the address below. We aim to review reports within 24 hours.
• Our actions: we may remove content, warn, restrict, suspend, or permanently remove any account that violates these Terms or that we reasonably believe puts other users at risk. We may do this without notice where needed for safety.

If you are ever in danger, contact local law enforcement or 911 first.

9. Cost-Share Reimbursement

RideNeighbor is a cost-sharing carpool platform, not a transportation or payment service. When you complete a ride:

• The app calculates a suggested reimbursement amount, capped at the IRS standard mileage rate, based on the distance traveled.
• RideNeighbor does not process, collect, hold, or transmit any cost-share payment. All reimbursement is settled directly between the rider and driver, outside the app (for example, via Zelle, Venmo, or cash).
• The rider confirms the amount they agree to pay, and the driver separately confirms that they received it — this is a record-keeping step only, not a payment transaction performed by RideNeighbor.
• Repeated failure to reimburse a driver as agreed may result in restricted access to future matches, at RideNeighbor's discretion.

10. Platform Access & Matching Fee

Once the full app launches, continued access to RideNeighbor's matching features requires a platform access and matching fee of $9.99/month (or the then-current published rate), billed on a recurring monthly or annual basis through our payment processor. This fee covers your access to the platform and its matching functionality only — it is never a transportation, booking, or per-ride fee, and no portion of it is paid to drivers.

Subscription cancellation: you may cancel your subscription at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period, and no refund is issued for the remainder of that period. If you are on an annual plan, no refund is issued for any unused months remaining on that plan. Cancelling your subscription does not cancel or affect any already-confirmed ride.

11. Ride Cancellations & No-Shows

Because RideNeighbor never holds or processes cost-share payments (see Section 9), cancelling a ride does not involve a refund — there is nothing collected by RideNeighbor to return. Instead, ride cancellations are governed by the following conduct standards:

• Early cancellation (24+ hours before the scheduled ride) is always permitted and does not affect your account standing.
• Late cancellation (less than 24 hours before the scheduled ride) or a no-show may be logged against your account.
• Repeated late cancellations or no-shows may result in a temporary or permanent restriction on your ability to request or offer rides, at RideNeighbor's discretion.
• A driver-initiated cancellation never counts against the rider, and RideNeighbor will help the rider find an alternative match where possible.
• Rides cancelled because a user deleted their account or blocked another user do not count against either user.

12. Account Deletion & Termination

Deleting your account. You may delete your RideNeighbor account at any time from Account & Security in the app. Deleting your account will cancel any pending or upcoming ride requests (and notify the other user that the ride was cancelled), erase or anonymize your personal information as described in our Privacy Policy, and cannot be undone. Some ride history may be kept without your name where needed for legal or safety reasons. Deleting your account does not by itself cancel an active subscription billing obligation described in Section 10.

Termination by RideNeighbor. We may suspend or end your access to the Service at any time if you violate these Terms, put other users at risk, or misuse the Service, as described in Section 8.

13. Disclaimer of Warranties

RideNeighbor provides its website, waitlist service, and app "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not warrant that the website or app will be uninterrupted, error-free, or completely secure.

14. Assumption of Risk & Release of Liability

RideNeighbor connects neighbors who arrange their own carpools — we do not employ drivers, operate vehicles, or supervise rides. By requesting, offering, or participating in a ride arranged through RideNeighbor, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

• You understand the risks. Carpooling with another person, including someone you have not previously met, carries inherent risks — including but not limited to motor vehicle accidents, personal injury, death, property damage, and the negligent, reckless, or intentional acts of other users (including, without limitation, assault, harassment, theft, or other criminal conduct). You voluntarily assume all such risks.
• You release RideNeighbor. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release, waive, and discharge RideNeighbor™, its owner, and its affiliates from any and all liability, claims, demands, or causes of action arising out of or related to your participation in a carpool arranged through the platform, including claims arising from the acts or omissions of other users.
• Waiver of unknown claims. You expressly acknowledge that you are aware of and waive the protections of California Civil Code Section 1542, which states: "A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party." You understand that you may later discover facts different from, or in addition to, those you now know or believe to be true regarding the matters released above, and you agree that this release remains effective in all respects despite any such different or additional facts.
• You will not hold RideNeighbor responsible for another user's conduct. RideNeighbor is not a party to, and has no control over, what happens between users once a ride is arranged. Any dispute, injury, or harm arising from another user's conduct is between you and that user, and in the case of a crime, is a matter for law enforcement — not RideNeighbor.
• Emergencies and reporting. If you are ever in danger or believe a crime has occurred, contact local law enforcement or 911 immediately. You may also report the incident to RideNeighbor so we can take action on the offending account, including permanent removal from the platform.
• Indemnification. You agree to indemnify and hold RideNeighbor harmless from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your own conduct, your violation of these Terms, or your participation in a carpool.

Nothing in this section releases RideNeighbor from liability that cannot be waived under California law, including liability for RideNeighbor's own gross negligence or willful misconduct.

15. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, RideNeighbor shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of our website, waitlist, or app. Except for the risks you have assumed and released under Section 14, our total liability for any claim arising from your use of RideNeighbor shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid RideNeighbor in the 12 months before the claim arose, or (b) $100.

16. Privacy

Your use of RideNeighbor is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

17. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify, update, or replace these Terms at any time, at our sole discretion and for any reason, with or without prior notice to you. We will post the updated version with a new date and version number, and we will notify users of significant changes by email or in the app. It is your responsibility to review these Terms periodically. Your continued use of our website or app after any changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

18. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of Sacramento County, California.

19. Contact Us