1. Who We Are

PatchAccess is a private hire taxi service operating in Wiltshire, UK. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data responsibly.

2. Data We Collect

When you use our service, we collect:

• Contact information: Name, phone number, email address
• Booking details: Pickup/dropoff locations, times, passenger count
• Precise location (GPS): Only if you actively choose to share it — for example by tapping "Share my location" or "Use my current location". We never access this automatically or in the background; see Section 5 for how it's used.
• Payment information: Card details (processed securely via our payment provider)
• Communication records: Messages exchanged through our platform, including our website chat assistant
• Device information: Browser type, IP address (for security purposes)

3. How We Use Your Data

• To process and fulfill your bookings
• To send booking confirmations and reminders
• To contact you about your journey
• To process payments
• To improve our service
• To comply with legal obligations

4. Data Sharing

We share your data only with:

• Our drivers: Name, phone, pickup/dropoff locations (to complete your journey)
• Payment processors: To securely process card payments
• Our AI chat assistant provider (xAI): Messages you send our website chat assistant, including any location details or links you choose to share in that conversation, are processed by xAI to generate the assistant's replies. This is used only to help book your journey — never for advertising or unrelated purposes.
• Legal authorities: If required by law

We never sell your data to third parties or use it for marketing without your consent.

5. Location Data

Where our website or chat assistant offers a "share my location" option, it works like this:

• Your precise location is only ever requested when you actively tap the button — never automatically, and never in the background while you browse.
• Your browser will separately ask you to confirm before sharing it with us — you can decline and describe your location in words instead.
• It is used solely to help a driver find you for that specific pickup (particularly useful for breakdowns or locations without a clear address).
• We do not track your location on an ongoing basis, and granting permission once does not give us standing access — each share is a single, one-off request.
• The location becomes part of that booking's record and is retained under the same terms as other booking details (see Section 6).
• "Ping my location" is a separate, lighter-weight feature (no account, just an optional phone number) for quickly letting us know where you are and getting a rough estimate of how far away we are. Sharing a ping only sends your coordinates to us to assess distance — it does not create an account or an ongoing profile, and is retained only briefly (see Section 6).

6. Data Retention

• Booking records: 7 years (legal/tax requirement)
• Account data: Until you request deletion
• Communication logs: 2 years
• Unconfirmed booking requests (received via SMS or website chat, but rejected or never actioned): full details, including your name, phone number and message text, are kept for 14 days, after which they are automatically and permanently scrubbed. Only a non-identifying category (the general type of job requested) and a timestamp are retained after that point, so we can identify patterns in requests we're unable to fulfil.
• "Ping my location" requests: your coordinates and phone number (if given) are kept for 24 hours, then automatically and permanently deleted — a ping is only ever meaningful in the moment, so nothing about it is kept once that moment has passed.

7. Your Rights (GDPR)

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate data
• Erasure: Request deletion of your data (where legally permitted)
• Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
• Object: Object to certain processing activities

To exercise these rights, contact us using the details below.

8. Security

We protect your data using:

• Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure database storage
• Access controls limiting who can view your data
• Regular security reviews

9. Cookies

Our website uses essential cookies to keep you logged in and remember your preferences. We do not use tracking or advertising cookies.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes via email or through our platform.

11. Contact Us

For privacy-related queries or to exercise your rights:

• 📞 Phone: +447340499769
• 📍 Wiltshire, United Kingdom