Effective date: 01 May 2025
This Privacy Policy explains how Vokes Taxis Ltd (“we”, “us”, or
“our”) collects, uses, shares and protects your personal data when you use our
mobile application and related services to book private hire and taxi journeys
(the Services). We are the data controller for the processing
described in this policy, unless stated otherwise.
If you have any questions, please contact us:
·
Registered company name: Vokes Taxis ltd
·
Company number: 06188668
·
Registered office: 3 Old Road Chatham Kent ME4 6BJ
·
Contact email: general@vokestaxisltd.co.uk
We may update this policy from time to time. We will post the
updated version in the App and change the effective date above. If changes are
material, we will notify you in-App or by email.
Depending on how you
use the Services, we may process the following categories of personal data:
·
Identity & contact data – name, title, phone number, email address, and (if you choose to
save it) home/work addresses.
·
Booking & journey data – pick‑up and drop‑off locations, date/time, route, vehicle class,
fare, booking reference, notes to driver, voucher usage, and journey history.
·
Location data – precise device location (GPS, Wi‑Fi, cell‑tower) to show nearby
vehicles, set your pick‑up, enable live tracking and safety features. You can
control location permissions in your device settings. If you disable location,
some features may not work.
·
Payment & transaction
data – payment method token, last four digits of
your card, billing address, transaction amounts and timestamps. We do not
store full card numbers; payments are processed by our payment provider(s).
·
Communications data – your messages to support, in‑app chat with drivers/partner
fleets, call recordings where call masking is used (see section 10), and your
marketing preferences.
·
Device & usage data – device model, operating system, app version, language, unique
identifiers, diagnostic and crash data, and interaction data to help us improve
performance and security.
·
Accessibility &
preference data – optional information you provide
about assistance needs (e.g. wheelchair access, visual/hearing support)
and ride preferences (e.g. quiet mode). Note: where such
information reveals health‑related data, we will only use it with your consent
to fulfil your booking and to comply with safety obligations.
·
Verification data (if
applicable) – where required for account security
or to comply with licensing/law (e.g. two‑factor authentication, proof of
authority for business accounts).
We do not knowingly
allow children to use the Services without the involvement of a parent or
guardian. If you believe we’ve collected data about a child, please contact us.
We
use your personal data for the purposes and under the legal bases below:
·
Provide and manage your
account and bookings (create your account, take
bookings, allocate a driver/partner fleet, send confirmations, provide live
tracking, handle payments): Performance of a contract; Legitimate
interests (efficient service and safety).
·
Share details for journey
fulfilment with assigned drivers and, where needed,
partner fleets/subcontracted operators (see section 4): Performance
of a contract; Legitimate interests (ensuring coverage and service
continuity).
·
Customer support and service
communications (service updates, delays, receipts):
Performance of a contract; Legitimate interests (service
quality).
·
Safety, security and fraud
prevention (identity/account protection, misuse
detection, chargeback/risk checks, safeguarding and incident handling): Legitimate
interests; Legal obligations.
·
Improve, troubleshoot and
develop the App (analytics, diagnostics, A/B
testing where appropriate): Legitimate interests.
·
Marketing (news, offers, surveys): Consent where required under PECR;
otherwise Legitimate interests with an opt‑out available at any time.
·
Compliance with law and
licensing (record‑keeping for local licensing
authorities and tax): Legal obligations.
·
Automated decision‑making (e.g. driver assignment, fare estimates, fraud signals): Performance
of a contract; Legitimate interests. You may request human review of
a decision that has legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Some data
is required to use core features, for example:
·
Location data: to set pick‑up, display ETAs and track your driver. You can disable
background location in device settings; we only access precise location while
you are using relevant in‑App features.
·
Contact details: to send booking confirmations and allow the driver/partner fleet to
reach you in relation to your journey (often via masked numbers).
·
Payment method: for cashless bookings and to prevent fraud.
We share your data only
as necessary for the purposes above, with appropriate contractual and technical
safeguards.
Some bookings may be fulfilled by a trusted partner fleet or
subcontracted licensed operator when this is needed to provide coverage or
specific vehicle types. In those cases we will share only the details
necessary for the fulfilment of your booking, such as:
·
first name (or initial),
·
pick‑up and drop‑off locations
(and waypoints),
·
date/time, booking notes and
accessibility requirements you have asked us to pass on,
·
live tracking information
necessary to complete the journey,
·
a masked contact number or
in‑App chat to communicate about the booking.
Partner fleets are contractually required to use your data solely to
provide the journey and to keep it secure. Depending on local licensing
arrangements they may act as our processor (processing on our
instructions) or as an independent controller for their own legal and
safety obligations. In both cases, they must handle your data lawfully and
transparently.
·
Assigned drivers – to complete your booking and contact you about pick‑up.
·
Payment service providers – to process payments and prevent fraud.
·
Communications providers – to send SMS, email, and provide call masking/in‑App voice.
·
Cloud hosting, IT and
support providers – to operate the App and store
data securely.
·
Analytics and diagnostics
providers – to improve stability and performance
(aggregated where possible).
·
Regulators, licensing
authorities and law enforcement – where we are
legally required or to protect vital interests (e.g. safety incidents).
·
Corporate account
administrators – where you travel on a business
account set up by your employer, we may share booking and spend details with
them under that arrangement.
·
Business transfers – in the context of a merger, acquisition or reorganisation,
subject to appropriate safeguards.
We do not sell your personal data.
We generally
store your data in the UK/EEA. Where we transfer personal data outside the UK
(for example, to cloud or communications providers), we use appropriate
safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA)
or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, together with
technical and organisational measures to protect your data.
We keep your personal data
only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy and to
meet legal, accounting and licensing requirements. Typical retention periods
are:
·
Account profile – while your account remains active and for up to [24 months]
after last activity, unless you ask us to delete it sooner (subject to legal
holds).
·
Booking and transaction
records (including invoices/receipts) – up to six
(6) years for tax and accounting.
·
Journey location/telemetry
data – retained for the trip and then for [12
months] for safety, dispute resolution and service quality.
·
Customer support records – [24 months].
·
Marketing preferences and
opt‑outs – maintained until you change your
preferences; records of opt‑out may be kept to honour your choice.
Where retention periods
are shown in square brackets, we will confirm the exact periods applicable to
your operator licence and internal policies.
We implement appropriate
technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including
encryption in transit and at rest where appropriate, access controls,
least‑privilege policies, monitoring, staff training and vendor due diligence.
While no system is 100% secure, we work to prevent unauthorised access,
alteration or loss.
Under UK data protection law
(UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018) you have rights including to:
·
Access your personal data and receive a copy;
·
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data;
·
Erase your data in certain circumstances;
·
Restrict or object to processing, including where we rely on
legitimate interests;
·
Data portability for data you provided to us with consent or under a contract;
·
Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent;
·
Complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are
unhappy with how we have handled your data.
To exercise your rights,
please contact us using the details above. You can also contact the ICO
at ico.org.uk or by post at Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
The
App uses software development kits (SDKs) and similar technologies for core
functionality (e.g. maps, payments, push notifications) and
analytics/diagnostics. Where required, we will seek your consent for
analytics/marketing technologies and you can change your preferences at any
time via in‑App settings or your device settings.
To protect
your privacy we may use number masking or in‑App voice so drivers and
partner fleets can contact you without seeing your real number. Support calls
may be recorded for training and quality; we will tell you when recording is
active. Any recordings are retained only as needed for these purposes and then
deleted.
You can
control certain processing via your device and App settings, including:
·
Location access (while using
the app / allow once / don’t allow)
·
Push notifications
·
Analytics/marketing preferences
·
Saved addresses and payment
methods
Where
a journey is fulfilled by a partner fleet, they may provide their own privacy
information to you (for example, on a receipt or via a link). Their handling of
your data is also governed by local licensing rules and their own policies. We
require partner fleets to use your data only for the fulfilment of your
booking and to implement appropriate security measures. If you have
questions about a journey completed by a partner fleet, you can contact us in
the first instance and we will liaise with them as needed.
Questions or requests about
this policy or your personal data:
·
Email: general@vokestaxisltd.co.uk
·
Postal: Vokes Taxis Ltd, 3 Old Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 6BJ
If you would like this policy
in another format (large print, audio), please let us know.