Privacy Policy - Medicar

1. Who We Are

Medicar is the informal name of Mount Adams Medicar, a registered Ohio corporation (“Mount Adams Medicar,” “we,” or “us”). We operate a volunteer-based platform that connects people who need rides, primarily to medical appointments and the airport in the Cincinnati area, with volunteer drivers. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices you have. It should be read together with our Terms and Conditions.

2. Information We Collect

Account information: your name, username, email address, mobile phone number, account type (rider, volunteer, or both), and your password, which we store only in hashed form.
Ride information: pickup and drop-off addresses and their map coordinates, the requested date and time, the reason for the trip (medical appointment or airport trip), passenger count, any notes you provide, and the ride's status.
Volunteer information: driver's license number and expiration date; vehicle make, model, year, color, license plate, and seating capacity; weekly availability; and an emergency contact's name and phone number. Volunteers should get their emergency contact's permission before sharing those details with us.
Information our administrators record: whether your phone number has been verified, and for volunteers, approval status, whether a background check has been completed, and internal notes.
Text message records: the ride alerts we send to volunteers, their delivery status, and whether you accepted or declined the ride.
Technical information: request logs kept by our server and hosting provider, such as IP address, pages requested, and browser type, and the cookies described in Section 7.

Ride details such as medical destinations can be sensitive. Please share only what is needed to arrange your ride. Medicar is not a healthcare provider, and you should not include diagnoses or detailed medical information in ride notes.

3. How We Use Your Information

To create and manage your account, and to verify phone numbers and approve volunteers.
To check that rides fall within our service area and to match riders with available volunteers.
To send ride-related text messages and to contact you about your account or a ride.
To keep the service safe, investigate problems or disputes, and prevent misuse.
To operate, maintain, and improve the platform, and to comply with legal obligations.

We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not send marketing or promotional messages.

4. Text Messaging (SMS)

Consent: we send text messages only to people who agree to receive them by checking the SMS consent box when creating an account. Medicar is free, so consent is never a condition of a purchase, but ride notifications are a core part of the service.
What we send: ride-related messages only. Approved volunteers receive alerts about new ride requests, including the trip reason, pickup and drop-off addresses, time, passenger count, and any ride notes, and can reply YES or NO. Riders receive a text with the volunteer's first name when a volunteer accepts their ride, and the accepting volunteer receives a confirmation with the rider's first name. We also send short automatic replies to texts you send us.
Frequency: message frequency varies with ride activity.
Cost: message and data rates may apply, depending on your mobile plan.
Opt out: reply STOP at any time to stop receiving text messages. You may then no longer receive ride requests or ride updates, which can limit your use of the service.
Help: reply HELP for assistance, or email [email protected].
Carriers: mobile carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Mobile information is not shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging opt-in data and consent are not shared with any third parties. Your phone number is shared only as described in Section 5, to deliver messages and operate the service.

Text messages are not encrypted and may be visible to your mobile carrier. Please do not use text messages to share sensitive information.

5. How We Share Your Information

With volunteers: when you request a ride, the trip reason, pickup and drop-off addresses, time, passenger count, and any ride notes are sent by text message to each approved volunteer who is available at that time. Your name is not included in these alerts. Only the volunteer who accepts your ride learns your first name, in their confirmation text and in their account. Your last name is not shared with volunteers.
With riders: when you accept a ride as a volunteer, the rider receives your first name by text and can see your first name, phone number, and the vehicle's make, model, year, color, and license plate in their account. Your last name is not shared with riders.
With our administrators: our administrators can see account, volunteer, ride, and message information to approve volunteers, provide support, and keep the service safe.
With service providers: Twilio delivers our text messages and receives phone numbers and message content. Fly.io hosts our website and database in the United States. These providers receive only what they need to perform their function and handle it under their own privacy policies.
Maps and address search: the route map uses map images from OpenStreetMap, and address suggestions are provided by Photon, a public search service run by a third party. As you type in an address box, the text you type is sent to Photon, along with your IP address and basic browser information, to find matching addresses. If you submit an address without choosing a suggestion, our server sends that address to Photon to find its location. OpenStreetMap likewise receives your IP address and the map area you view. These services do not receive your name or account details. Choosing one of the listed hospital or airport locations without typing does not send an address to Photon.
Legal and safety: we may disclose information if required by law, or when needed to protect the safety of riders, volunteers, or others.

We do not sell or rent your personal information.

6. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, and restricted administrator access. However, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.

7. Cookies

We use only the cookies needed to run the site: a session cookie that keeps you signed in, a security cookie that protects forms from forgery, and a short-lived cookie that displays on-screen notices. We do not use analytics, advertising, or cross-site tracking cookies.

8. Data Retention

We keep your account information, ride records, and text message records while your account is active, and for as long as needed to resolve disputes, address safety concerns, and meet legal obligations. When your account is deleted, your profile, the rides you requested, and your text message records are deleted with it. Rides you drove as a volunteer remain in the rider's history without your name or vehicle. Our hosting provider's backups and Twilio's message logs may persist for a limited time afterward.

9. Your Choices

Access and correction: email us to request a copy of your information or to correct your account details.
Deletion: email us to delete your account and personal information. We may retain limited information where required by law or needed to resolve a safety issue or dispute.
Text messages: reply STOP at any time to stop receiving texts.

10. Age Requirement

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. The service is not directed to anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe someone under 18 has created an account, please contact us and we will delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date above shows when it last changed. Continued use of the service after an update means you accept the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

For questions about this policy, to make a request about your information, or for help with text messages, email Mount Adams Medicar at [email protected].