Legal Documentation

Privacy Policy

How RutaLink collects, uses, and protects your personal information

Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Introduction

RutaLink ("we," "us," or "our") operates a bus ticketing platform that helps regional bus operators manage bookings, sell tickets, communicate with passengers, and share real-time bus locations during trips. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and share information about you when you use our services, including the RutaLink website, passenger trip-tracking pages, and the RutaLink Driver mobile app.

By using RutaLink's services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Information We Collect

When you book a bus ticket through RutaLink, we collect:

  • Contact Information: Name, email address, and mobile phone number
  • Booking Details: Trip information, seat selection, and travel dates
  • Payment Information: Payment card details (processed securely through Stripe)
  • Consent Records: Timestamp, IP address, and browser information when you opt-in to receive SMS notifications
  • Communication Preferences: Your opt-in/opt-out status for SMS and email notifications

When a driver uses the RutaLink Driver mobile app during an active trip, we additionally collect:

  • Precise Location Data: GPS coordinates, accuracy, and timestamp of the bus, captured while the driver has an active trip session
  • Session Identifier: A single-use token tied to a specific trip that authenticates the driver app without requiring a username or password
  • Device Information: Device model, operating system version, and app version for troubleshooting and crash diagnostics

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Process and confirm your bus ticket bookings
  • Send transactional SMS messages including booking confirmations, trip reminders, and payment notifications (with your explicit consent)
  • Respond to HELP requests and customer support inquiries
  • Process payments securely through our payment processor (Stripe)
  • Broadcast the real-time location of an active bus trip to passengers who hold the tracking link for that specific trip
  • Diagnose crashes and improve reliability of the RutaLink Driver mobile app
  • Improve our services and user experience
  • Comply with legal obligations

SMS/Text Messaging

If you opt-in to receive SMS notifications from RutaLink, we will send you transactional text messages related to your bus ticket bookings. These messages may include:

  • Booking confirmations with ticket details
  • Payment links for pay-later bookings
  • Trip reminders before departure
  • Booking modification or cancellation notices

Message frequency varies based on your booking activity. Message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile carrier plan.

You can opt-out at any time by replying STOP to any message. Reply HELP for assistance.

We will NEVER sell, rent, or share your mobile phone number with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Your mobile information is used solely for transactional communications related to your bookings.

Driver Location Data (RutaLink Driver Mobile App)

This section applies only to drivers who use the RutaLink Driver mobile app on iOS or Android. Passengers and other users of the RutaLink platform are not subject to location collection.

What we collect

When a driver opens an active trip in the RutaLink Driver app, the app collects:

  • Precise GPS coordinates (latitude, longitude, accuracy radius) of the bus
  • Timestamp of each location sample
  • Device speed and heading, when reported by the operating system

When we collect it

Location collection begins only after the driver:

  • Opens a valid trip-tracking link issued by their dispatcher
  • Grants location permission in the system permission prompt
  • Taps "Start Tracking" inside the app

Location collection runs in the foreground while the app is open and continues in the background while the driver is using turn-by-turn navigation apps (such as Google Maps or Apple Maps) during the same trip.

Why background collection is necessary

Drivers typically run Google Maps or Apple Maps in the foreground for turn-by-turn directions during a trip. If RutaLink stopped reporting the bus position the moment the driver switched to a navigation app, passengers watching the trip-tracking page would see the bus freeze on the map. Background location is required for the core service — passenger-facing real-time trip visibility — to function.

How we use it

Location data is used solely to:

  • Display the bus's current position on the passenger-facing trip-tracking page at book.rutalink.cloud
  • Provide the dispatching operator with operational visibility into the trip in progress
  • Generate trip records used for service quality and contractual reporting to the operator

We do NOT use driver location data for advertising, profiling, behavioral targeting, or any purpose unrelated to the trip the driver is operating. We do NOT sell or rent driver location data to any third party. We do NOT share driver location with any party other than the operator dispatching the trip and the passengers holding the tracking link for that specific trip.

Who can see it

  • Passengers who hold the trip-tracking link for the specific trip in progress can see the bus's position on a map. Each tracking link is scoped to one trip and expires when the trip ends.
  • The bus operator dispatching the trip can see the bus position in their operations dashboard.
  • RutaLink engineering may access aggregated location records in the course of troubleshooting reported issues, under strict access controls.

When collection stops

Location collection stops automatically when any of the following occurs:

  • The driver taps "Stop Tracking" in the app
  • The driver's dispatcher marks the trip as ended on the server
  • The driver revokes location permission in the device's system settings
  • The driver uninstalls the RutaLink Driver app

No third-party SDKs harvest driver location

The RutaLink Driver app does not include any third-party advertising SDKs, analytics SDKs that harvest precise location, or any data-broker integration. The location samples are sent only to RutaLink's own servers (hosted on Railway, formerly Neon) and from there to the parties listed above.

Retention

Real-time location samples are relayed to passengers and operators with minimal server-side persistence. Trip-level summaries (start point, end point, route polyline) are retained alongside the trip record per the Data Retention section below for operational and service-quality reporting.

Data Sharing

We share your information only in the following circumstances:

  • Bus Operators: Your booking details are shared with the bus operator providing your transportation service
  • Payment Processors: Payment information is processed by Stripe, which maintains its own privacy policy
  • SMS Providers: Your phone number is shared with Twilio solely for delivering transactional SMS messages you have opted into
  • Trip Tracking: A driver's real-time bus location during an active trip is shared with passengers holding the tracking link for that trip and with the dispatching operator. See the Driver Location Data section above for full detail.
  • Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or governmental authority

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information:

  • All data transmissions are encrypted using SSL/TLS
  • Payment information is handled by PCI-compliant processors
  • Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel only
  • SMS consent records are retained with full audit trails

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

  • Booking Records: Retained for 7 years for accounting and tax purposes
  • SMS Consent Records: Retained for at least 4 years as required by TCPA regulations
  • Account Information: Retained until you request deletion

Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements)
  • Opt-out of SMS communications at any time by texting STOP
  • Withdraw consent for data processing

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

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us:

Email: hello@rutalink.cloud

Phone: (857) 578-2189

Website: try.rutalink.cloud

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of our services after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.