These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the Octagon Uncle scholar transport app and related services (the "App"), operated by Octagon Uncle Transport Services (Pty) Ltd ("Octagon Uncle", "we", "us"). By creating an account or using the App, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the App. Questions? Contact us at octagonuncletransportservices@gmail.com.
1. What Octagon Uncle is
Octagon Uncle is a software platform that connects parents/guardians, independent scholar transport operators ("owners") and their drivers. The App helps operators manage their learners, drivers and fees, lets parents follow the vehicle during a trip and pay transport fees, and lets drivers run their routes.
Octagon Uncle does not provide transport itself. The transport service is provided by the operator you join. The operator is responsible for its vehicles, drivers, routes, roadworthiness, licences, permits and insurance, and for the safe transport of learners.
2. Who may use the App
- You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. Children do not use the App themselves; a parent or guardian provides their child's details.
- You must give accurate information and keep it up to date, including your child's pick-up address, school and any needs the operator should know about.
- You are responsible for keeping your login details safe and for activity on your account. Tell us straight away if you think your account has been used without permission.
3. Roles and responsibilities
Parents/guardians join an operator using that operator's invite code, add their children, sign the operator's transport agreement in the App, and pay the monthly fee. You confirm that you have authority to provide your child's information and to arrange their transport.
Operators are responsible for the transport service they offer, for the fees they set, for the drivers they appoint, and for checking each driver's licences and police clearance. Operators must comply with all laws that apply to scholar transport, including road traffic, public transport licensing and consumer protection laws.
Drivers must hold the licences and permits required by law, drive safely, obey road traffic laws, and must not handle the phone while driving. Set up the route before you drive and only interact with the App when it is safe and lawful to do so.
A "Police-cleared" label in the App means the operator has uploaded and confirmed a clearance document. Octagon Uncle does not carry out background checks itself.
4. The transport agreement
When a parent adds a child, the parent and operator enter into a transport agreement shown in the App. That agreement is between the parent and the operator — Octagon Uncle is not a party to it. Its main terms include:
- Monthly fee: the fee set by the operator for each child, payable monthly in advance.
- One month's notice: either party may end the agreement by giving one calendar month's notice through the App. Fees remain payable during the notice period, after which billing stops automatically.
- Absences: no refund is given for days the learner does not travel (for example illness, holidays or absence), as the seat is reserved for the month.
- Conduct: transport may be suspended if a learner's behaviour endangers safety.
Questions or disputes about the transport service itself (routes, times, conduct, fees or refunds) should first be raised with the operator. We will help where we reasonably can.
5. Payments
- Payment provider. Payments are processed by Paystack. Your card details are entered directly into Paystack's secure checkout; we never see or store your full card number. Paystack's own terms also apply to your payment.
- Recurring billing. By saving a card, you authorise the monthly transport fee for each child to be charged automatically to that card on the debit day shown in the App, until the agreement ends. Operators can also send a payment request, which may charge your saved card or give you a payment link.
- Platform fee. Octagon Uncle receives a flat platform fee (currently R30) from each successful transport-fee payment. It is deducted from the amount paid to the operator — parents pay only the fee shown in the App. Operators agree to this deduction and to Paystack's processing fees when they set up payouts.
- Late or failed payments. If a monthly payment is not made within 5 days of the debit day, live vehicle tracking for that child is paused until payment is made, and the operator may pause the transport service under the transport agreement.
- Refunds. Because fees are paid to the operator for its transport service, refund requests are handled by the operator under the transport agreement and applicable law. If you believe you were charged in error, contact the operator and us, and we will help investigate with Paystack.
6. Live location, notifications and crash alerts
While a driver is running a route, the driver's device shares its location so parents can see the vehicle, including when the phone is locked. Sharing stops when the route ends. The App also sends trip notifications such as "the driver is outside".
While a route is running, the App uses the phone's motion sensor to detect a possible hard impact. If the driver does not tap "I'm OK" within 30 seconds, the operator and the parents of children on board are alerted with the vehicle's location.
These are helpful extras, not emergency or guaranteed services. Location, notifications and crash detection depend on the phone, its battery, GPS, mobile signal and settings, and may be delayed, inaccurate or unavailable, and may not detect every incident or may raise false alarms. The App does not contact emergency services. In an emergency, always call emergency services directly (for example 10111 or 112 from a mobile phone).
7. Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- use the App for anything unlawful, or to harass, threaten or harm anyone;
- use another person's account or give false information about yourself or a child;
- access, view or share information about a child or family that you are not entitled to, or use tracking or child information for any purpose other than the transport service;
- upload documents or content that are false, offensive or that you have no right to share;
- interfere with, copy, reverse-engineer or try to get around the security of the App.
We may suspend or close accounts that break these Terms or put learners, users or the App at risk.
8. Privacy
We handle personal information, including children's information, in line with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.
9. Ending your account
You can delete your account at any time in the App (account settings → "Delete my account") or by emailing us. Deleting your account does not cancel any notice period or unpaid fees owed under a transport agreement. Operators should give parents notice before closing an account that parents rely on.
10. Availability and changes to the App
We work to keep the App running reliably, but we do not guarantee that it will always be available, uninterrupted or error-free. We may update, change or stop features, and may need to pause the App for maintenance.
11. Limitation of liability
To the extent permitted by law, including the Consumer Protection Act, 2008:
- Octagon Uncle is not responsible for the transport service provided by operators or for the acts or omissions of operators, drivers or other users;
- we are not liable for loss or damage caused by delayed, inaccurate or missing location data, notifications or crash alerts, or by the App being unavailable;
- we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss; and
- our total liability to you for any claim relating to the App is limited to the platform fees we received in connection with your account in the 3 months before the claim.
Nothing in these Terms limits any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act or other law that cannot be excluded, or our liability for gross negligence or wilful misconduct.
12. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date above and, for important changes, let you know in the App. If you keep using the App after the change, the updated Terms apply.
13. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. If a dispute arises, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it. Otherwise, the South African courts have jurisdiction.
14. Contact us
Octagon Uncle Transport Services (Pty) Ltd
Roodepoort, Gauteng, South Africa
Email: octagonuncletransportservices@gmail.com