Terms of Service (Travellers)

These terms apply when you use the Vihara app or website to plan a trip, receive quotes and book a vehicle with a driver. By creating an account you agree to them.

1.1 What Vihara does. Vihara is a technology platform. We show your trip request to Hosts, show you their quotes, collect payment and hold it until the trip is settled, and help resolve problems. The transport service itself is provided by the Host you choose. Your contract for the trip is with that Host; Vihara acts as an intermediary and as the Host’s limited agent for collecting payment.

1.2 Who can use Vihara. You must be at least 18 years old, able to enter a binding contract under Indian law, and use a mobile number registered in your name. You sign in with a one-time code sent to that number; no identity document is needed to book. One account per person. What we collect and why is set out in the Privacy Policy (section 3).

1.3 Requests and quotes.

• You describe the pickup, stops, drop, start date and time (at least 12 hours ahead), number of days and travellers. We estimate the distance using mapping services; the estimate is the baseline for quotes. A day trip may be a round trip or one-way, with up to 10 destinations, and must fit within 12 hours from pickup and end the same day; one-way trips include the Host’s return drive to base in the baseline.
• Every trip starts and ends at the Host’s vehicle location. The baseline distance includes the drive from the vehicle to your pickup and from your drop back to the vehicle; each quote shows that distance.
• A quote is the Host’s offer: per-km rate, extra-km rate, extra-day rate, driver allowance (bata) and any night charge, and the total fare for the baseline. Quotes are valid until the time shown. You choose which Hosts are asked to quote. For a day trip, the Host quotes a fixed amount plus driver allowance, an extra-km rate and, optionally, an extra-hour rate for time beyond 12 hours. A quote does not reserve the vehicle; it is reserved only when you pay. If you change any trip detail (route, dates, days, travellers or luggage), all open quote requests and quotes for that trip are cancelled.
• Host and driver identity are shared only after you pay. Driver details are shared 3 hours before the trip starts.

1.4 Price and payment.

• At checkout you pay the trip fare, a booking fee (5% of the fare, minimum ₹99, maximum ₹1,499) with GST on that fee, and any optional cover you choose. The total is shown before you pay. The fee Hosts pay to Vihara comes out of their earnings and is never added to your price.
• You authorise a UPI Autopay or card mandate of up to 20% of the fare, used only for charges after the trip described in 1.5. You can see and cancel the mandate after the trip settles.
• Payments are processed by our payment partner. We do not store your card details.

1.5 Charges after the trip.

• If the vehicle travels more than the baseline distance, as measured from the odometer readings at the start and end of the trip, you pay the extra km at the quoted extra-km rate. If it travels less, there is no refund for unused km.
• Days added at your request are charged at the quoted extra-day rate plus driver allowance.
• Tolls, parking, state permits and entry taxes, and any other road fees are not part of the fare. You pay them directly as they arise; Vihara does not collect or settle them.
• The Host may choose to reduce these charges. The final amount is shown in a settlement statement and charged to your mandate; anything above it is sent as a payment link due within 24 hours.

1.6 Trip start and odometer readings. The trip officially starts when you give the driver the pickup OTP shown in your app at the pickup point. The driver records the odometer with a photo at the vehicle’s location before leaving for your pickup and after returning from your drop. You will be asked to confirm each reading in the app. If you do not respond within 30 minutes, the reading is treated as confirmed. You may dispute a reading within 48 hours of the trip ending.

1.7 Your responsibilities. Travel with no more people than booked; follow the law and the driver’s reasonable safety instructions; do not carry illegal, hazardous or prohibited goods; do not ask the driver to drive unsafely, exceed driving hours or break traffic rules; treat the driver and vehicle with respect. You are responsible for damage you or your group cause to the vehicle beyond normal wear.

1.8 Cancellations. The Cancellation and Refund Policy in section 4 applies.

1.9 Ratings and reviews. Reviews must be honest and about the trip. We may remove reviews that are abusive, fake or share personal information.

1.10 Our responsibility. Before a Host can quote, we check their PAN, their bank account and each vehicle’s registration certificate and photos. Hosts declare, and remain legally responsible for, their permits, insurance, fitness certificates and drivers’ licences. We do not own or operate the vehicles. To the extent permitted by law, Vihara is not liable for indirect or consequential losses, and our total liability for any claim about a booking is limited to the amount you paid Vihara for that booking. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under Indian law, including under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

1.11 Suspension. We may suspend or close an account for fraud, unpaid charges, abuse of drivers or Hosts, or repeated breaches of these terms, and will tell you why.

1.12 Changes. We may update these terms. We will notify you in the app at least 15 days before material changes take effect; continuing to use Vihara after that means you accept them.

1.13 Law and disputes. These terms are governed by the laws of India. Courts at Hyderabad, Telangana have jurisdiction, subject to your rights as a consumer to approach the consumer commission where you live. Please contact our grievance officer first (section 7).