PRIVACY
POLICY

This Privacy Policy describes how Vessel Taxi LLC (“Vessel,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you use our ride-matching service, visit our website at vesselrides.co, or otherwise interact with us by phone, text message, or email.

Vessel is a phone-based service that connects riders with reliable local drivers. Riders request rides by calling Vessel. We coordinate the match and confirm the booking. Riders pay drivers directly. We are not a rideshare app, and we do not process ride payments through this platform.

By using our service or website, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information directly from you when you contact us, sign up for our waitlist, or request a ride:

• Contact information: Your name, phone number, town, and email address.
• Ride request details: Pickup location and time, destination, return time (if applicable), number of passengers, vehicle preference, and any additional stops or notes you provide.
• Driver preference information: If you indicate one or more drivers you prefer to ride with.
• Communication content: The text and voice content of messages and calls you exchange with Vessel for the purpose of coordinating rides.
• Support calls: If you call Vessel and choose support, we keep a record of the call (your phone number, the time, and whether it was answered) and, if you leave a voicemail, the recording and an automatic written transcript of it. Live conversations with our support team are not recorded.
• Website usage information: Standard server log information when you visit vesselrides.co, such as IP address, browser type, and pages viewed. We do not use third-party tracking cookies for advertising.
• Driver verification documents: If you sign up to drive with Vessel, photos or copies of your driver's license, your auto insurance ID card or declarations page, and your vehicle registration. These documents may show your driver's license number, date of birth, address, and vehicle and insurance policy details, and any expiry dates you enter for them.
• Driver account sign-in: If you sign in to your driver account, we email a one-time sign-in link to the address on your driver record and set a sign-in cookie that keeps you signed in for up to 30 days. That cookie is used only to keep you signed in.
• Rider membership: If your household becomes a member, we collect your household name, the names and phone numbers you give us, your town, an email address if you choose to give one, your membership status and payment history (including the amount, date, and check number of any cash or check payment), and a short record of each ride call (the phone number, time, and membership status) so we can recognize members and count free trial rides.

Apart from the driver's license number that appears on a driver's uploaded license, we do not collect Social Security numbers, government identification numbers, or financial account numbers. Drivers and members who pay by card give their card details directly to our payment processor, Stripe, either on our website or by reading them to our team, who enters them into Stripe's secure form during the call. Vessel never stores card numbers. Riders pay drivers directly in cash or check; we never see those funds.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To process and fulfill your ride requests, including matching you with an available driver
• To send you confirmations, status updates, and operational messages about your ride via call
• To communicate with you about service updates, our launch, and changes to this policy
• To invoice drivers for the per-claim dispatch fees they owe Vessel, including keeping a record of claimed rides
• To confirm that drivers are licensed, insured, and registered before they receive ride opportunities
• To improve and develop our service, including understanding which features riders and drivers value
• To answer support calls and voicemails and follow up on questions, complaints, and suggestions
• To run rider memberships: recognizing members when they call, counting free trial rides, sending members' requests to drivers first, and billing membership fees
• To comply with legal obligations and to enforce our Terms of Service

3. SMS and Text Message Communications

This section describes our SMS messaging practices and is provided to comply with applicable carrier and regulatory requirements. Please read it carefully.

Consent to receive messages. By providing your phone number on our waitlist form or by calling Vessel and providing your number, you consent to receive text messages from Vessel related to your ride requests, service updates, and our pre-launch communications. Messages may be sent using an automated dialing system.

Types of messages you may receive.

• Booking confirmations once a driver has accepted your request
• Trip status updates (driver assigned, driver arrived, trip completed)
• Operational messages such as schedule changes or driver cancellations
• Pre-launch updates about Vessel's availability in your area, if you signed up for our waitlist

Message frequency. Message frequency varies based on how often you use the service. For active riders, expect approximately one to five messages per ride request.

Message and data rates. Message and data rates may apply. Vessel does not charge for sending or receiving SMS messages, but standard carrier rates from your mobile provider apply.

How to opt out (STOP). You can opt out of SMS messages from Vessel at any time by replying STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT to any message we send. After you opt out, we will send one final confirmation message acknowledging your request, and you will not receive further SMS from us. Note: opting out of SMS may prevent us from sending you the SMS updates described above.

How to get help (HELP). Reply HELP to any Vessel message and you will receive a response with our contact information and a link to this policy. You can also email us directly at founder@vesselrides.co.

4. How We Share Your Information

We share information only as described below. We do not sell your personal information.

No sharing of mobile information for marketing. Vessel does not share your mobile phone number, SMS opt-in status, or text message content with third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes. Mobile information collected through SMS opt-in will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes. Information sharing to subcontractors in support of services provided by Vessel (for example, customer support or messaging delivery) is permitted, and those parties are not permitted to use the information for any other purpose.

Sharing with drivers to fulfill rides. When you request a ride, we share the trip details necessary for a driver to evaluate and accept the request, including pickup location, destination, time, ride size, and your first name and phone number once a driver has accepted. Drivers are independent contractors who agree to handle this information solely for the purpose of completing your ride.

Service providers. We use third-party service providers to operate our service, including telecommunications carriers (for example, Twilio) for SMS and call routing, email service providers, and cloud hosting providers. These providers process information only on our behalf and only as necessary to provide their service to us.

Legal compliance and safety. We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or other legal process, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Vessel, our users, or the public.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

• Ride request and trip records are retained for at least seven years for tax, accounting, and dispute-resolution purposes.
• Waitlist sign-ups are retained until you ask us to delete your information or until two years have passed without contact, whichever comes first.
• Driver verification documents are retained while you drive with Vessel and for up to three years after your last claimed ride, so we can respond to insurance claims or disputes, and are then deleted.
• Support call records, voicemail recordings, and transcripts are retained for up to two years after the call, and are then deleted.
• Membership records, including payment history, are retained while you are a member and for up to seven years afterward for tax and accounting purposes.

6. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: You may ask us to correct information that is inaccurate.
• Deletion: You may ask us to delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Opt out of SMS: You may opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP.
• Opt out of marketing email: You may unsubscribe from marketing emails using the link in any email or by emailing us.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at founder@vesselrides.co. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.

7. Children's Privacy

Vessel's services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. If we learn that we have collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly. Parents or guardians who believe a child has provided information to us should contact us at founder@vesselrides.co.

8. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the personal information we collect. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, please contact us immediately.

Driver verification documents are stored in an access-restricted database, are viewable only by Vessel, and are never shared with riders or other drivers.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Material changes will be communicated through our service, by email, or by a notice on our website. Your continued use of Vessel after any change indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our handling of your information, please contact us:

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