Section 3
Privacy Policy
Draft: not yet in force
Draft of 7 October 2026 for review by a qualified Indian lawyer before publication. It is not legal advice.
Vihara is a product of Naptrix Labs Private Limited, a company incorporated in India with its registered office in Hyderabad, Telangana (“Naptrix Labs”, “Vihara”, “we”, “us”). Vihara runs an online marketplace that connects people who want a chauffeur-driven vehicle for a long trip (“Travellers”) with owners of commercial vehicles who provide the vehicle and driver (“Hosts”).
This policy explains what personal data Vihara collects, why, who sees it, how long we keep it, and your rights under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the Information Technology Act, 2000. It covers the Vihara app, the Vihara Partner app, the website and our support channels. Naptrix Labs is the data fiduciary for the data described here.
3.1 What we collect and why
| Data | From whom | Why we need it | Kept for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile number | Everyone, at sign-in | Your account; sending sign-in codes; masked calls; trip and payment messages | While the account is open + 3 years |
| Sign-in and security records: code requests and results (never the code itself), device id, app version, IP address, sign-in times, devices signed in | Everyone | Protecting your account, stopping fraud and misuse, showing you where you’re signed in | 1 year; a signed-in device until you sign out or 30 days of no use |
| Name, language; email and profile photo if you add them | Everyone | Account, receipts and invoices, messages in your language | While the account is open + 3 years |
| Trip details: pickup, stops, drop, dates, number of adults and children, luggage, notes | Travellers | Measuring the route, finding cars, quotes, running the trip | 8 years (tax and accounting records) |
| Payment details: payment ids, UPI id or masked card, mandate reference, refunds | Travellers | Taking payment, charging extras, refunds | 8 years; full card numbers are held only by our payment partner |
| PAN number and a photo of the PAN card | Hosts | Checking identity; TDS and tax statements | While hosting + 8 years |
| Bank account number, IFSC and account holder name | Hosts | Verifying the account with a small test deposit; paying you | While hosting + 8 years |
| Vehicle registration certificate (photo and details), vehicle photos, vehicle location | Hosts | Checking ownership; finding nearby cars; showing the vehicle to Travellers (number plate blurred until booking) | While listed + 3 years |
| Business details: travels name, base city, languages | Hosts | Profile, invoices, matching languages | While hosting + 3 years |
| Name, mobile number, city and number of vehicles from the “Become a partner” form | People who ask us to call them about joining as a Host | Calling you back to help you join | 1 year, or until you join as a Host |
| Driver name, mobile number and photo | Hosts, about their drivers | Telling the Traveller who will drive; masked calls; trip messages to the driver | While the driver is listed + 3 years |
| Location during a trip | Driver’s phone, from leaving the vehicle’s location until return | Safety, distance checks, disputes | 90 days, longer only if a dispute or claim needs it |
| Pickup and drop code records, odometer photos and readings, vehicle condition photos | Drivers and Travellers | Proving when the trip started and ended; distance and settlement; disputes | 2 years (code records 8 years with the booking) |
| Your location, only when you tap “Use my location” | Travellers | Filling in the pickup | Not kept after the search |
| Emergency contacts (name and number you type in) | Travellers, optional | SOS alerts | Until you remove them |
| Ratings, reviews, in-app chat and support messages | Everyone | Quality and resolving complaints | 3 years |
| Device data: model, operating system, app version, notification token, crash logs | Everyone | Sending notifications, keeping the app working and secure | 1 year |
| Consent records: what you agreed to, which version, when | Everyone | Proving consent and honouring withdrawals | While the account is open + 3 years |
We collect only what is listed here. Travellers never upload an identity document. We do not ask for Aadhaar, we do not read your contacts, and we do not read your SMS inbox: on Android the app reads only the Vihara sign-in code message, through the system’s SMS Retriever.
3.2 Consent
- When you sign up we ask for your consent for each purpose, in plain language and in your chosen language, with a link to this policy. Location and camera permissions are asked only when a feature needs them.
- You can withdraw consent at any time in Profile → Privacy and data. Withdrawal does not affect what was done before, and some features will stop working (for example, hosting cannot continue without a verified bank account).
- Some processing does not need consent because the law allows it: keeping tax and payment records, responding to lawful requests, and protecting someone in a medical emergency.
- Drivers: a Host who adds a driver confirms that the driver has agreed to their name, mobile number and photo being shared with Vihara and with the Traveller. We send the driver an SMS saying so, with a link to this policy, and the driver can contact us directly to see, correct or remove their data.
3.3 Who we share it with
- The other party to your trip, only what they need and only when they need it: Hosts see a Traveller’s route and travel details but not their name or number until payment; Travellers see Host and vehicle details at payment and driver details 3 hours before the trip. Phone calls go through a masked number, so neither side sees the other’s real number.
- Service providers that process data for us under contract and only for these purposes:
| Provider | What they receive | Why |
|---|---|---|
| MSG91 | Mobile number, sign-in code, SMS text | Sending and checking sign-in codes; SMS messages |
| Razorpay and RazorpayX | Payment details; Host’s name, bank account and IFSC | Payments and mandates; verifying bank accounts; payouts |
| Google Maps Platform | Places and coordinates (no names or numbers) | Routes and road distances |
| Google Analytics (website only) | Pages visited, approximate location from IP address, device and browser type, and which forms were sent (never what you typed) | Counting visits and improving the website; advertising features are off |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google), which delivers to iPhones through Apple’s push service | Notification token and message | App notifications |
| Our WhatsApp Business messaging provider | Mobile number, message | Trip and payment messages |
| Our masked-calling provider | Both mobile numbers for the call | Calls between Traveller and driver |
| Cloudflare (Workers, D1 database, R2 storage), Asia-Pacific region | All data, encrypted | Hosting and storage |
| Our crash-reporting provider | Device data and crash logs | Fixing faults |
| The insurer, only if you choose trip cover | Names and trip details, only if cover is chosen | Issuing cover and settling claims |
- Authorities, when Indian law requires it (for example tax filings that include a Host’s PAN), or to protect someone’s safety in an emergency.
- We do not sell personal data. We do not use it for advertising by third parties.
3.4 Where it is stored. On Cloudflare’s servers in the Asia-Pacific region, which may be outside India. We and our service providers transfer data outside India only to countries not restricted by the Government of India, under contract, and with the same protection described here.
3.5 Security. Encryption in transit and at rest. PAN, bank account numbers and document photos are encrypted separately and shown to staff only when a check needs them, with every view logged. Sign-in codes are never stored, and you can see and sign out every device from the app. If a breach affects you, we will tell you and the Data Protection Board as the law requires.
3.6 How long we keep it. For the periods in 3.1. When a period ends, we delete the data or remove everything that identifies you. If you delete your account, we delete your data within 30 days once open trips and payments are settled, except records the law makes us keep (tax, payment and booking records for 8 years), which are locked and used for nothing else.
3.7 Your rights. In the app (Profile → Privacy and data) or by writing to our grievance officer, you can:
- see a summary of the data we hold about you and how we use it;
- correct or complete it, including changing your mobile number;
- withdraw consent (some features will stop working);
- ask us to erase data we no longer need to keep by law, or delete your account;
- see the devices signed in to your account and sign them out;
- nominate someone to exercise these rights if you die or cannot act;
- complain to our grievance officer, and then to the Data Protection Board of India.
We respond within 30 days.
3.8 Children. Vihara accounts are for people aged 18 and over. Travellers may book trips that include children; we collect only their count, not their details.
3.9 Changes. We will tell you in the app before material changes take effect, and ask for consent again if a change adds a new purpose.
Contact: the Grievance Officer, Naptrix Labs Private Limited, Hyderabad, Telangana. Email: support@viharatravel.com.