Octagon Uncle Transport Services ("Octagon Uncle", "we", "us") operates the Octagon Uncle scholar transport app. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the choices you have. We handle personal information in line with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). Questions? Contact us at octagonuncletransportservices@gmail.com.
Who this policy is for
The app is used by three kinds of adult users: parents/guardians, who arrange transport for their children; transport operators ("owners"), who run a scholar transport service; and drivers, who transport the children.
The app is intended for use by adults. Children do not create accounts or use the app themselves. Parents provide certain information about their children so that transport can be arranged and carried out safely.
What we collect
Account information. When you sign up we collect your name, email address, and the role you choose (parent, owner, or driver). Owners may also provide a business name, a public contact phone number, service areas, and the schools they serve so that parents can find them.
Child information (provided by parents). To arrange transport, a parent provides details about their child, including the child's name, school, grade, home/pick-up address, drop-off details, and — if the parent chooses to upload them — a photo and supporting documents (such as proof of address). This information is visible to the transport operator and the assigned driver responsible for that child.
Location information. During an active trip, a driver's device shares its live location so that parents can see the vehicle on the way to pick up or drop off their child. Location is shared only while the driver is running a route — including in the background when the phone is locked, so parents keep seeing the vehicle — and sharing stops when the driver ends the route.
Payment information. Transport fees are processed by our payment provider, Paystack. When you pay, your card details are entered directly into Paystack's secure system. We never see or store your full card number. We store only a secure payment token and the last four digits of the card so that monthly transport fees can be charged and so you can recognise your card.
Notification tokens. We store a "push token" for your device so we can send you trip notifications (for example, "the driver is outside" or "your child has been collected"). A push token is a delivery address for notifications and does not contain personal information.
Documents. Operators may upload a driver's police clearance document to confirm that a driver is cleared. Parents may upload documents relating to their child as described above.
Why we collect it and our legal basis
We collect the above information to: create and manage your account and role in the app; connect parents with transport operators and drivers; arrange, carry out, and track scholar transport trips safely; show parents the live vehicle location during a trip; process transport-fee payments and recurring monthly billing; send you trip and account notifications; and confirm that drivers are police-cleared.
Under POPIA, we process this information to perform the transport service you have asked for (to conclude and carry out our agreement with you), to meet our legal obligations, for our legitimate operational interests in running the service safely, and — where required, such as for a child's information — on the basis of the consent of the parent or guardian who provides it.
How we share information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only as needed to run the service:
- Within your transport group. A parent's child information is shared with the operator and the assigned driver responsible for that child. An operator's public listing (business name, public phone, areas, schools) is shown to parents searching for transport.
- Paystack, our payment provider, to process payments. See Paystack's privacy policy at paystack.com/privacy.
- Supabase, which hosts our database and secure storage, and Expo, which delivers push notifications, acting as our service providers under confidentiality obligations.
- When required by law, for example in response to a lawful request from authorities, or to protect the safety of a child or any person.
How we protect information
Access to profile information is restricted so that each user can only read their own account details; the wider information needed to run a trip (such as a driver reaching the correct parent) is handled through controlled, limited server-side lookups rather than open access. Payments are handled by Paystack and full card numbers never reach our systems. Data is stored with our hosting provider using industry-standard protections.
No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your information and to limit who can see it.
How long we keep information
We keep your information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the service. If you delete your account (see below), we remove your profile and associated personal information, except where we are required to keep certain records — for example, payment and tax records — for the period required by law.
Your choices and rights
Under POPIA you have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, to ask us to correct it if it is wrong, to object to certain processing, and to ask us to delete it.
Deleting your account. You can delete your account and personal information at any time from within the app, under account settings ("Delete my account"). You can also email us at octagonuncletransportservices@gmail.com and we will help.
To exercise any other right, contact us at the email above and we will respond within a reasonable time.
Children's information
The app is used by adults. Information about a child is only ever provided by that child's parent or guardian, who consents to us using it to arrange and carry out the child's transport. We use children's information only for that purpose and share it only with the operator and driver responsible for that child. A parent can remove their child's information from the app, or delete their account, at any time.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app.
Contact us
Octagon Uncle Transport Services
Email: octagonuncletransportservices@gmail.com
If you are not satisfied with how we handle your information, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa).
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