Your Privacy Matters

1. Overview

TheBusTime is a school bus tracking and management platform developed and operated by CViant Technologies, registered in India. We provide real-time GPS tracking, RFID-based student attendance, and communication tools for schools, parents, and drivers.

By using our services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 School Administrators

• School name, address, and contact number
• Administrator email address and account credentials
• Subscription and payment details (processed by Razorpay)
• School logo (if uploaded)

2.2 Drivers

• Name and mobile number
• Vehicle (bus) registration number
• Real-time GPS location only during active trips
• Trip history and route data

2.3 Parents

• Name and mobile number
• Children's names (for boarding/exit notifications)
• Assigned driver and route information

2.4 Students

• Name (provided by parent during registration)
• RFID card ID (for Model 2 and Model 3 only)
• Boarding and exit timestamps

2.5 Device & Technical Data

• Device type, OS version, app version
• Push notification tokens (for delivering alerts)
• Crash logs and performance data (anonymised)

3. How We Use Information

• Service delivery: Providing real-time tracking, attendance, and notifications
• Account management: Creating and managing school, driver, and parent accounts
• Safety alerts: Sending SOS, boarding, and trip notifications
• Support: Responding to queries and troubleshooting issues
• Billing: Processing subscription payments through Razorpay
• Improvements: Analysing anonymised usage patterns to improve the platform
• Legal compliance: Meeting obligations under applicable Indian law

We do not use your data for advertising or sell it to third parties.

4. Data Sharing

We share personal information only in the following circumstances:

• Within the platform: Parents can see their assigned driver's location. School admins can see all drivers and routes under their school.
• Service providers: Firebase (Google) for database and authentication; Razorpay for payment processing; Firebase Cloud Messaging for push notifications.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government authority in India.
• Business transfers: If CViant Technologies is acquired or merged, user data may be transferred, with notice provided to users.

All third-party service providers are bound by data processing agreements and are not permitted to use your data for their own purposes.

5. Data Retention

• Active accounts: Data is retained as long as your school subscription is active.
• After expiry: Data is retained for 90 days post-subscription expiry, after which it is permanently deleted from our servers.
• GPS location data: Real-time location is not permanently stored. Trip summaries (start/end timestamps, route) are retained for up to 12 months.

6. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• All data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2+
• Firebase Realtime Database with role-based security rules
• Firebase Authentication for secure login
• No plaintext passwords — all authentication is handled via Firebase Auth
• Payment data handled exclusively by Razorpay (PCI-DSS compliant) — we do not store card details

While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected users within 72 hours as required by applicable law.

7. Children's Privacy

TheBusTime is designed to protect children in school bus environments. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under the age of 13.

Student data (name, RFID events) is provided by parents or school administrators on behalf of children. This data is used solely for the purpose of tracking student safety during school bus commutes.

If you believe we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child without parental consent, please contact us immediately at privacy@thebustime.in.

8. Your Rights

Under applicable Indian data protection law (IT Act, 2000 and DPDP Act, 2023), you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent for data processing where consent is the legal basis

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@thebustime.in with your registered email address and school code. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Cookies

Our website (thebustime.in) uses minimal cookies necessary for the site to function:

• Authentication cookies: To keep you logged in to the school admin portal
• Analytics: We may use anonymised analytics (e.g., page views) to improve our website. This data does not identify individual users.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the school admin portal.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Notify registered school administrators via email
• Display a notice in the school admin portal

Continued use of TheBusTime after changes constitute acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns, please contact:

We are committed to resolving privacy concerns promptly and transparently.