Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Ram's Taxis is a licensed taxi operator in Braintree, Essex (licensed by Braintree District Council). We provide passenger taxi and courier delivery services.

Contact: info@ramstaxis.co.uk | 07988 887871

2. Data We Collect

When you use our service, we collect:

• Contact: name, phone number, email address (if provided)
• Location: pickup and dropoff addresses; GPS coordinates during trip (for driver tracking)
• Booking: dates, times, vehicle type, passenger count, trip notes
• Payment: none stored (cash/card on completion); price quoted
• Device: IP address, browser type, pages visited (analytics)
• SMS/Email: confirmation messages and booking updates

3. Lawful Basis

We process your data under UK GDPR article 6 (1)(b) — contract performance. To fulfil your booking, we need your contact and location details.

Analytics and marketing emails are based on your consent (article 6(1)(a)). You can opt out anytime via cookie settings or email.

4. Data Retention

• Booking records: 7 years (tax compliance, liability)
• Customer accounts: as long as active; deleted on request after 12 months inactivity
• OTP codes & sessions: 30 days (auto-purged)
• Live GPS tracking data: 24 hours (auto-purged)
• Cookies & analytics: 12 months (configurable)

5. Sharing Your Data

Your data is shared only with:

• Our drivers: name, phone, pickup/dropoff (necessary to serve you)
• SMS provider (Twilio): phone number + confirmation message (SMS only)
• Email provider (Hostinger SMTP): email + booking confirmation
• Google Maps: address data for route planning (no personal ID)
• Firebase: phone number for OTP verification (no personally identifiable data)

We do not sell or share your data with third parties for marketing. We do not share data with analytics partners beyond anonymised analytics.

6. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access: request a copy of your data
• Rectification: correct inaccurate data
• Erasure: ask us to delete your data (where legally permitted)
• Restrict processing: limit how we use your data
• Portability: receive your data in a portable format
• Object: opt out of marketing and analytics

To exercise any of these rights, contact: info@ramstaxis.co.uk

7. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies for session management (essential) and analytics (GA4, consent-based). Our cookie banner asks for consent on first visit.

• Essential: session, CSRF protection (always set)
• Analytics: GA4 (only if you accept)
• Duration: most expire after 365 days

8. Security

Your data is protected by SSL/TLS encryption (HTTPS), database encryption, and access controls. Passwords are bcrypt-hashed. We audit logs for suspicious activity.

No system is 100% secure. If you believe your data has been breached, contact us immediately.

9. International Transfers

Most data is stored in the UK. Firebase and Google Maps may process data outside the UK under Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs). We ensure equivalent protection.

10. Children

Our service is not directed at children under 16. Parents/guardians are responsible for children who use our site. We do not knowingly collect data from children without parental consent.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "last modified" date. Continued use of our service implies acceptance.