Privacy Policy | DitchRide

DitchRide is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains in plain language what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and what rights you have. We comply with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).

Table of Contents

Who We Are
Information We Collect
Why We Collect Your Information
Your Consent (CASL)
How We Use Your Information
How We Store and Protect Your Information
Who We Share Your Information With
How Long We Keep Your Information
Your Rights
Cookies and Tracking
Changes to This Policy
Contact Us

1 Who We Are

DitchRide is Alberta's first intercity minivan travel platform, connecting travelers between Calgary, Banff, Red Deer, Canmore, and other Alberta destinations.

Our registered business operates from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When this policy refers to "DitchRide," "we," "us," or "our," it means DitchRide and its team.

For all privacy-related matters, you can reach us at: info@ditchride.com

2 Information We Collect

We only collect the personal information necessary to provide our services and communicate with you. We do not collect more than we need.

Information	When We Collect It	Why
Email address	When you join our waitlist or founding rider program	To send you launch updates and booking information
First name	When you complete your founding rider registration	To personalise communications we send you
Consent record	When you check the consent box on our sign-up form	To record your CASL consent as required by Canadian law
Booking information	When you book a DitchRide trip (at launch)	To process and fulfil your booking
Payment information	When you pay for a trip	To process payment. We do not store card numbers directly.
Trip preferences	When you set preferences in your account	To improve your DitchRide experience
Device and usage data	Automatically when you visit ditchride.com	To understand how the site is used and improve it

We do not collect sensitive personal information such as government identification numbers, health information, or financial account details beyond what is needed to process payments.

3 Why We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information only for the following purposes:

To register you as a founding rider and secure your spot in the program
To send you launch updates, route announcements, and DitchRide news that you have consented to receive
To process trip bookings and send booking confirmations
To communicate with you about your trips, including pickup details and schedule changes
To improve our service based on how riders use DitchRide
To comply with our legal obligations under Canadian law
To maintain records of consent as required under CASL

We will not use your personal information for any purpose other than those listed above without first obtaining your consent.

4 Your Consent (CASL)

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) requires us to obtain your express consent before sending you commercial electronic messages. This includes our launch emails, founding rider updates, and any promotional communications.

When you check the consent box on our sign-up form, we record your consent along with the date, time, and the specific consent language you agreed to. This record is maintained as required by law.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send you, or by emailing us directly at info@ditchride.com with the subject line "Unsubscribe." We will process your request within 10 business days as required by CASL.

Withdrawing consent to receive marketing communications does not affect our ability to send you transactional emails related to active bookings you have made with DitchRide.

We keep a complete record of your consent, including the date and time you provided it and the exact consent language that was presented to you. This record is stored securely and is available to you upon request.

5 How We Use Your Information

Your personal information is used only in ways that are consistent with the purposes for which it was collected. Specifically:

Your email address is used to send you communications you have consented to and transactional messages related to your bookings
Your first name is used to personalise the communications we send you
Your booking information is used to fulfil your trip and communicate with your DitchRide Captain
Your consent record is maintained as a legal record and is never used for any other purpose
Device and usage data is used in aggregate form to improve our website. It is not linked to your personal identity.

We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making that has a legal or significant effect on you.

6 How We Store and Protect Your Information

Your personal information is stored securely using industry-standard practices. We take the following measures to protect your data:

All data is encrypted in transit using TLS (HTTPS)
Personal information is stored in secure databases with restricted access
Access to personal information is limited to DitchRide team members who need it to perform their job
We use reputable service providers who maintain their own security standards
We review and update our security practices regularly

Your data is stored on servers located in Canada or the United States. Where data is stored outside Canada, it remains subject to the laws of the country in which it is stored. We take steps to ensure our service providers offer equivalent privacy protections.

In the event of a data breach that poses a real risk of significant harm to you, we will notify you and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as required by law.

7 Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. Ever.

We may share your personal information only in the following limited circumstances:

Service providers: We use trusted third-party services to help us operate DitchRide, including email delivery, payment processing, and data storage. These providers only have access to the information they need to perform their specific service and are contractually required to protect it.
DitchRide Captains: When you book a trip, your first name and pickup location are shared with your assigned DitchRide Captain for the purpose of completing your journey.
Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government authority, or if necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of DitchRide, our riders, or the public.

Any third party that processes personal information on our behalf is bound by contract to handle it in accordance with this policy and applicable Canadian privacy law.

8 How Long We Keep Your Information

Information Type	Retention Period	Reason
Waitlist and founding rider records	Until you unsubscribe, then 3 years	CASL requires us to maintain consent records for 3 years after the relationship ends
Booking records	7 years from the date of the trip	Required for financial and tax record-keeping under Canadian law
Consent records	3 years after consent is withdrawn	CASL compliance
Website usage data	26 months	Standard analytics retention period
Account information	For as long as your account is active, plus 2 years	To provide ongoing service and resolve any disputes

When personal information is no longer required for its original purpose and retention is not required by law, we securely delete or anonymise it.

9 Your Rights

Under PIPEDA and applicable Canadian privacy law, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Right to access: You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. We will respond within 30 days.
Right to correction: If the information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you can ask us to correct it.
Right to withdrawal of consent: You can withdraw your consent to receive marketing communications at any time without penalty. See Section 4 above.
Right to deletion: You can request that we delete your personal information. We will do so unless retention is required by law (for example, booking records required for tax purposes).
Right to complain: If you believe we have not handled your personal information properly, you have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca or 1-800-282-1376.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@ditchride.com with the subject line "Privacy Request." We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request.

10 Cookies and Tracking

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience and understand how the site is used. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

We use the following types of cookies:

Essential cookies: Required for the website to function. These cannot be disabled.
Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it. Data collected is aggregated and anonymous.
Marketing cookies: Used to track the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns. These are only active if you have provided consent.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. For more information about managing cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

11 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as our services evolve or as required by changes in applicable law. When we make material changes, we will:

Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
Notify founding riders and active account holders by email
Post a clear notice on our website for 30 days following any material change

Your continued use of DitchRide after a policy change constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. If you do not agree with a change, you may request deletion of your account and personal information.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

12 Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal information, please contact us:

DitchRide
Privacy and Data Protection

Email: info@ditchride.com
Subject line: Privacy Inquiry

Website: www.ditchride.com

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

We aim to respond to all privacy requests within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca.