Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

GratisFare is a Kansas City–based transportation membership company. Our registered address and primary contact is hello@gratisfare.com. When this policy says "GratisFare," "we," "us," or "our," it means GratisFare.

2. Information we collect

We collect information you give us directly:

• Name and email address when you register or join as a founding member
• Phone number (optional, for ride notifications)
• Date of birth (required to verify you are 21 or older)
• Payment information, processed securely by Stripe — we never store full card numbers
• Passwords, stored as a one-way bcrypt hash — we cannot read your password

We also collect information automatically when you use our site:

• Browser type and device information
• IP address and approximate location
• Pages visited and actions taken on the site

3. How we use your information

• To create and manage your membership account
• To process payments via Stripe
• To send transactional emails (confirmation, password reset, ride receipts)
• To track referral credits and membership milestones
• To comply with Missouri transportation regulations (TNC license requirements)
• To improve the service and diagnose technical issues

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your data for advertising. GratisFare products are ad-free.

4. Data sharing

We share your data only with service providers that help us operate:

• Stripe — payment processing. Subject to Stripe's privacy policy.
• Resend — transactional email delivery.
• Twilio — SMS verification (if you provide a phone number).

We may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our members and the public.

5. Data retention

We retain your account information for as long as your membership is active or as needed to comply with legal obligations. If you cancel, we retain a minimal record for accounting and fraud-prevention purposes for up to 7 years.

6. Your rights

You may contact us at any time to:

• Access a copy of the data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Opt out of non-transactional communications

Email hello@gratisfare.com with any such request and we will respond within 30 days.

7. Cookies

We use only functional cookies and browser localStorage to keep you logged in. We do not use tracking or advertising cookies.

8. Security

We use industry-standard encryption (TLS) for all data in transit. Passwords are hashed with bcrypt. Payment data is handled entirely by Stripe and never touches our servers in unencrypted form. We conduct regular security reviews and promptly address any vulnerabilities.

9. Children

GratisFare requires all members to be 21 or older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 21. If you believe a minor has registered, please contact us immediately at hello@gratisfare.com.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as GratisFare grows. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email. The "last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the current version.

11. Contact

Questions about this policy? Email us at hello@gratisfare.com.