Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to Busway. Busway is a school transportation management platform that connects schools, drivers, parents, and students to make daily school commutes safer and more organized. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have regarding your data when you use the Busway mobile application and related services (the "Service").

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information to operate the Service:

• Account information: name, phone number, email address, password, profile picture, and role (Student, Parent, Driver, or School).
• Student information: name, school, class/grade, group, pickup and drop-off addresses, and the parent linked to the student.
• Trip and location data: for Drivers during active trips we collect real-time GPS location to share live trip progress with parents and the school. Location is only collected while a trip is active.
• Attendance and absence records: daily attendance, absence requests, and trip history.
• Device and technical data: device model, operating system, app version, language, push-notification token, and crash logs.
• Communications: messages, support requests, and contact-us submissions you send through the Service.

3. How We Use Your Information

• Create and manage user accounts and verify identity.
• Match students with parents, drivers, groups, and schools.
• Show live trip tracking and estimated arrival times to authorized parents and schools.
• Send notifications about trip start, pickup, drop-off, absences, and announcements.
• Generate attendance reports and operational analytics for schools.
• Protect the safety of students and prevent fraud, abuse, or misuse of the Service.
• Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests.

4. Children's Privacy

Busway is designed to serve schools and is used by minors only through accounts created and supervised by their school or parent. We do not knowingly collect information directly from children for advertising or marketing purposes. A student's profile is created by the school or parent, and the parent retains the right to review, modify, or request deletion of their child's information at any time by contacting their school or our support team.

5. How We Share Information

We do not sell personal data. We share information only as follows:

• With the school: student, parent, and driver information needed to manage transportation.
• With parents: live location of the trip carrying their child, attendance status, and notifications.
• With drivers: the list of students assigned to their trip and pickup/drop-off addresses.
• With service providers: trusted vendors that help us operate the Service (cloud hosting, push notifications, crash reporting, analytics) under confidentiality and data-processing obligations.
• For legal reasons: when required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of users.

6. Third-Party Services

The Service uses third-party platforms including Google Firebase (authentication, real-time database, cloud messaging) and map providers for location features. These providers process data on our behalf according to their own privacy policies.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service. Trip and attendance records may be retained for the duration required by the school and applicable law. When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it.

8. Data Security

We apply technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, access controls, and audit logs. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we work continuously to safeguard your data.

9. Your Rights

• Access, correct, or update your personal information through the app or by contacting us.
• Request deletion of your account and associated data, subject to legal and school record-keeping requirements.
• Withdraw consent to optional features such as push notifications and location sharing.
• Contact us with any privacy-related questions or complaints.

10. Location Permissions

Drivers must grant location permission so the app can share live trip progress with parents and the school. Location is collected only while a trip is active and stops when the trip ends. Parents and students do not need to share their location with the Service.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you through the app or by other reasonable means before the changes take effect. Continued use of the Service after the changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: support@busway.app.