FareBuddy Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 2026

1. Introduction

FareBuddy ("we", "our", "us") is a companion app designed for professional ride-hailing drivers. FareBuddy provides real-time trip insights using information visible on a user's device and displays informational indicators to assist users in assessing trip offers.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using FareBuddy, you agree to this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

FareBuddy does not collect, store, transmit, or share ride request information, trip details, passenger information, pickup locations, destination details, or ride-hailing account data from third-party platforms.

All trip analysis, text recognition, and profitability calculations are performed locally on your device.

We may collect limited technical information to maintain and improve the App:

Information We May Collect

Device information, including device model, operating system version, and app version
Anonymous performance metrics and feature usage statistics
Crash reports and diagnostic information
Email address or contact information provided when contacting support

Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect or store:

Screenshots or screen recordings
Screen Broadcast recordings
Ride request data on our servers
OCR results from trip offers
Passenger names or contact details
Ride-hailing account credentials
Messages, emails, or keystrokes
Audio recordings or phone call information

3. How We Use Information

We use limited technical information solely to:

Provide core app functionality
Improve app performance, reliability, and stability
Diagnose technical issues and crashes
Respond to support enquiries
Improve the user experience

We do not sell, rent, distribute, or monetise user data.

We do not use data for advertising, profiling, marketing audiences, or behavioural tracking.

4. Permissions Used

FareBuddy may require certain permissions depending on your device platform.

Android

FareBuddy may use:

Accessibility Service permission
Display Overlay permission

These permissions enable FareBuddy to detect visible trip-offer information and display informational indicators.

iOS

FareBuddy may use:

Screen Broadcast permission
Picture-in-Picture (PiP) functionality

These features enable FareBuddy to analyse visible trip-offer information and display informational indicators while the user is using compatible applications.

What FareBuddy Does Not Do

FareBuddy does not:

Accept/ reject ride requests
Automate user interactions
Simulate taps, clicks, gestures, or input
Control third-party applications
Modify ride-hailing platform functionality

All interactions with ride-hailing platforms remain fully manual and under the sole control of the user.

5. iOS Screen Broadcast

On supported iOS devices, FareBuddy uses Apple's Screen Broadcast functionality to analyse information visible on the user's screen and provide real-time trip insights.

Important:

All analysis, text recognition, and trip calculations are performed locally on the device
Screen content is not recorded, stored and not transmitted beyond the device
No screenshots, screen frames, OCR results, or ride-offer details are sent to third-party services
Screen Broadcast is only active when manually started by the user, Users may stop Screen Broadcast at any time
Screen Broadcast is used solely to provide FareBuddy's functionality

FareBuddy does not use Screen Broadcast to control, influence, accept, reject, trigger, or interact with ride requests.

6. Job History and Offer Log

FareBuddy may provide a Job Log or offer history feature that stores analysed trip metrics for the user's reference.

Important:

Job history is stored locally on the user's device only
Job history is not transmitted to FareBuddy servers
Job history is not shared with third parties
Users may delete their job history at any time through the App

7. Data Retention

Anonymous analytics data and crash reports may be retained for up to 12 months, after which they are deleted or anonymised where appropriate.

Support communications may be retained for longer where necessary to fulfil support requests or comply with legal obligations.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect information, including:

Secure Firebase infrastructure
Access controls and restricted permissions
Encrypted communications where applicable
Industry-standard security safeguards

No ride-offer data, screenshots, screen content, or passenger information is stored on FareBuddy servers.

9. Third-Party Services

FareBuddy may use the following services:

Google Firebase

Used for:

Anonymous analytics
Crash reporting
Performance monitoring

Google Privacy Policy:
https://policies.google.com/privacy

No ride-offer content, OCR results, screenshots, or screen broadcasts are shared with Firebase.

FareBuddy does not share data with ride-hailing platforms, advertisers, or marketing partners.

10. Your Rights

Under applicable data protection laws, you may have the right to:

Request access to data we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate information
Request deletion of personal information
Withdraw consent where applicable

Where FareBuddy stores information locally on your device, you may delete that information directly through the App, including via any available Job History, Account Settings, or data management features.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our services, technology, or legal obligations.

The most current version will always be available at:

https://www.farebuddy.app/privacy-policy/

Your continued use of FareBuddy following publication of an updated Privacy Policy constitutes acceptance of the updated version.