Host Agreement

This agreement is between Vihara and you as a Host: an owner or operator of a commercial passenger vehicle who offers trips through Vihara. It applies alongside the Terms of Service.

2.1 Your status. You are an independent business, not Vihara’s employee, agent or partner. You decide which requests to quote, at what rates, and which bookings to accept. You are responsible for your drivers.

2.2 Eligibility. You and every vehicle and driver you list must at all times hold:

• a valid registration certificate for a commercial (transport) vehicle in your name or your business’s name;
• a valid tourist permit (all-India or state) covering every state on each trip you accept;
• valid fitness certificate, insurance (at least third-party; comprehensive recommended) and pollution under control certificate;
• for each driver, a valid driving licence with the transport endorsement required by law;
• a verified PAN and a bank account in your or your business’s name.

To join, you upload a photo of each vehicle’s registration certificate, photos of the vehicle and your PAN card, and add a bank account, which we verify with a small test deposit. You confirm in the app that you and your drivers hold everything else listed above. Vihara does not check those items when you join, but may ask for them at any time and may suspend a vehicle or driver that does not have them.

2.3 Quotes and bookings. Your quote must state your per-km, extra-km and extra-day rates, driver allowance and any night charge, within the ranges shown in the app; for a day trip, a fixed amount, driver allowance, an extra-km rate and, optionally, an extra-hour rate for time beyond 12 hours. When a Traveller pays for your quote, a booking is formed and you must provide the trip as quoted. You must assign a driver at least 6 hours before the start time. You receive quote requests only from Travellers who choose your vehicle. Keep your vehicle calendar up to date: a paid booking blocks it automatically, and you must not accept the same vehicle for overlapping trips outside Vihara.

2.4 Conduct of the trip. Leave from and return to your vehicle’s registered location; start the trip only by entering the Traveller’s pickup OTP at the pickup point; record the odometer with a live photo at both points as the app requires; follow traffic and motor vehicle laws, permit conditions and driving-hour limits; keep the vehicle clean, roadworthy and as shown in its photos; never carry more passengers than the vehicle’s permitted seating; never ask the Traveller to pay outside the app.

2.5 Fees. Vihara charges a fee on every booking (the Vihara fee) of 10% of the trip amount, at most ₹1,500 per booking, plus GST on the fee. The trip amount is the whole amount for the trip, driver allowance included (the fare plus extra km, extra days with their allowance, extra hours, night charges and add-ons, minus any discount you give). The fee is deducted at settlement and never added to the Traveller’s price. Vihara may run offers that waive the fee in full or in part; an offer applies to the bookings and the period it states, and each booking shows the fee and any offer applied to it. The current fee is shown in the app and on viharatravel.com/partners. We will give 30 days’ notice of any change to the fee.

2.6 Payments to you.

• Vihara collects the Traveller’s payment as your limited agent and holds it until settlement.
• When the Traveller’s pickup OTP starts the trip, 25% of the fare is credited to your Vihara wallet. From day 2 of a multi-day trip, daily advances are credited to cover fuel, driver allowance and incidentals. Together these are capped at a share of your expected earnings that depends on your trust tier. A day trip receives the 25% at pickup and the rest at settlement.
• After the trip, Vihara settles: fare plus extras, minus any discount you give, minus the Vihara fee and GST on it (less any offer that waives them), applicable TDS and any insurance premium you chose, minus the amount credited at pickup and advances already paid.
• You can withdraw your wallet balance to your verified bank account, at least ₹500 at a time. A standard withdrawal is free and reaches your bank the next working day. An instant withdrawal aims to arrive within 60 minutes for a fee of 1% of the amount (minimum ₹10, maximum ₹100). The fee is deducted from the amount sent. We do not guarantee bank processing times.
• If a settlement shows you owe Vihara money (for example advances above your final earnings after a cancellation), we may recover it from future earnings.

2.7 Taxes. You are responsible for your own income tax and, where applicable, GST on your services. Vihara will deduct and deposit tax where the law requires (for example TDS under Section 194-O of the Income-tax Act, 1961) and give you statements.

2.8 Cancellations by you. Cancelling a paid booking incurs a penalty of 10% of the fare (minimum ₹1,000) and affects your standing. Three cancellations in 90 days may lead to suspension.

2.9 Insurance. You must keep the insurance the law requires. Optional trip cover offered through Vihara is described in section 5; it adds to, and does not replace, your own policy.

2.10 Ratings, suspension and termination. Vihara may suspend or remove a Host, vehicle or driver for missing or invalid documents, safety complaints, fraud (including false odometer readings), repeated cancellations or ratings below 4.0. We will tell you the reason and you may appeal through the app. You may stop hosting at any time after completing your accepted bookings.

2.11 Indemnity. You will indemnify Vihara against claims arising from your vehicles, your drivers’ conduct, or your breach of law or of this agreement, except to the extent caused by Vihara’s own fault.

2.12 Data. You may use Travellers’ details only to provide the booked trip and must not store, share or market to them. The PAN, bank account, registration certificate and photos you upload are used as the Privacy Policy describes. Before adding a driver, you must tell them that their name, mobile number and photo will be shared with Vihara and with Travellers, and have their agreement; Vihara will also tell the driver by SMS.

2.13 Law and disputes. Governed by Indian law. Disputes not resolved through the grievance process will be referred to arbitration by a sole arbitrator under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, seated at [Hyderabad], in English.