Privacy Policy

Hytch Privacy Policy

At Hytch, we want to reward people who share rides and help reduce congestion for everybody. In this privacy policy, we tell you what information we receive from you and other partners when using the Hytch Platform, and how we use it to connect communities and continue to improve our services.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

Hytch (“Hytch,” “we,” “our,” and/or “us”) values the privacy of individuals who use our application, websites, and related services (collectively, the “Hytch Platform ”). This privacy policy (the “Privacy Policy”) explains how we collect, use, and share information from Hytch users (“Users”). Beyond the Privacy Policy, your use of Hytch is also subject to our Terms of Use.

Open the app, tap the hamburger menu in the upper right corner and look for “Settings” where you’ll find “Erase Account” as an option. A confirmation screen will pop up. Then delete the app. If you’ve already deleted the app, download it again and, using the same phone number, log in again, then you can erase your account.

Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide to Us

Required Registration Information. When you sign up for a Hytch account, you give us your name, email address, and phone number. We ask questions about your commuting habits to establish a baseline for environmental impacts.

Optional Registration Information. You can be eligible for greater rewards if you register your vehicle’s year, make, and model details.

User Profile Information. Your name, names of paired riders or drivers, Profile photos and associated groups are always part of your Profile. Read more below about how you can control who sees your Profile.

Communications. If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you. For example, when you contact our Customer Support Team, we may receive your name, email address, phone number, the contents of a message or attachments that you may send to us, or other information you choose to provide.

Payout Information. To ensure payouts are received, we work with a third party provider, Paypal, to facilitate the transfer of funds that a user earns through the Hytch platform. Refer to PayPal’s privacy policy.

B. Information We Collect When You Use the Hytch Platform

Location Information. Hytch is all about rewarding people who share rides. To do this, we need to know where you are. When you open Hytch on your mobile device, we receive your location. We may collect the precise location of your device when the app is running in the foreground or background. If you give us permission through your device settings or Hytch app, we may collect your location while the app is closed to identify promotions or service updates in your area. If you label certain locations, such as “home” and “work,” we receive that information, too. Your location information is necessary for things like determining starting and ending locations, identifying the proximity of other riders to you at starting and ending locations, and tracking your mileage for rewards purposes.

Device Information. Hytch receives information from Users’ devices, including IP address, web browser type, mobile operating system version, phone carrier and manufacturer, application installations, device identifiers, mobile advertising identifiers, push notification tokens. We collect mobile sensor data from User devices (such as location, speed, direction, GPS coordinates, wifi triangulation, height, acceleration or deceleration) to ensure location accuracy and analyze usage patterns for improved service.

Usage Information. To help us understand how you use the Hytch Platform and to help us improve it, we automatically receive information about your interactions with the Hytch Platform, including your actions within the Hytch app and the dates and times of your visit and participation.

Text Information. We work with a third party partner to facilitate text messages to Users who sign up to use the Hytch Platform. We receive information about these communications including the date and time of the call or SMS message, the parties’ phone numbers, and the content of any SMS messages. Standard message and data rates may apply.

Address Book Contacts. The Hytch Platform operates best if users allow the app to perform a local name lookup in your address book or contacts. If you permit Hytch to access the address book on your device through the permission system used by your mobile platform, we may access names and contact information from your address book to facilitate invitations and social interactions that you initiate through our Platform. Hytch DOES NOT download contact data.

Information from Cookies and Similar Technologies. We may collect information through the use of “cookies”, tracking pixels, and similar technologies to understand how you navigate through the Hytch website and interact with Hytch advertisements, to learn what content is popular, and to save your preferences. Cookies are small text files that web servers place on your device; they are designed to store basic information and to help websites and apps recognize your browser. We may use both session cookies and persistent cookies. A session cookie disappears after you close your browser. A persistent cookie remains after you close your browser and may be accessed every time you use the Hytch website. You should consult your web browser(s) to modify your cookie settings. Please note that if you delete or choose not to accept cookies from us, you may be missing out on certain features of the Hytch website.

C. Information We Collect from Third Parties

Third Party Partners. We may receive additional information about you, such as demographic data, payment information, or fraud detection information, from third party partners and combine it with other information that we have about you.

Sponsor Programs. If a company, any institution, or organization participates in one of our Sponsor programs we may receive information about you, such as your email address or unique employee ID, necessary to reward you and distribute incentives as intended.

How We Share the Information We Collect

A. Sharing Between Users

Sharing between Users. In the case that a user opts-in to meet other users, either within a specified network, or otherwise, users may be able to see basic information about each other, such as names, photo, and certain information like overlapping group codes that are helpful to matching commute pattern history or Profiles.

B. Sharing Between Hytch and Third Parties

API and Integration Partners. If you connect to the Hytch Platform through an integration with a third party service, we may share information about your use of the Hytch Platform with that third party.

Third Party Services. The Hytch Platform may allow you to connect with other websites, products, or services that we don’t have control over (for example, we give you the ability to cash out your rewards through Paypal). If you use these services, we will provide the third party with information about you to allow them to provide the service to you. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these third parties before deciding whether to use their services.

Service Providers. We work with third party service providers to perform services on our behalf, and we may share your information with such service providers to help us provide the Hytch Platform.

Sponsor Partners. If you participate in a Sponsor Reward program and are rewarded for sharing a ride, we will provide your sponsor or any organization that you associate yourself with via a “Group/Promo Code” with information about your use of the Hytch Platform, including ride details such as name, email, date, time, distance, reward history, vehicle information, and location history as necessary to qualify for the reward. We do not provide information about who you Hytch with. If you change organizations, it is your responsibility to update your group/promo code settings with the new information. (Please remember to update settings accordingly.)

Other Sharing. We may share your information with third parties in the following cases:

  • While negotiating or in relation to a change of corporate control such as a restructuring, merger or sale of our assets;
  • If a government authority requests information and we think disclosure is required or appropriate in order to comply with laws, regulations, or a legal process;
  • With law enforcement officials, government authorities, or third parties if we think doing so is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Hytch community, Hytch, or the public;
  • To comply with a legal requirement or process, including but not limited to, civil and criminal subpoenas, court orders or other compulsory disclosures.
  • With our insurance partners to help determine and provide relevant coverage in the event of an incident;
  • To provide information about the use of the Hytch Platform to potential business partners in aggregated or anonymized form that can’t reasonably be used to identify you; and
  • Whenever you consent to the sharing.

Your Choices

Email Subscriptions. You can always unsubscribe from our commercial or promotional emails, but we will still send you transactional and usage emails about your use of the Hytch Platform.

Text Messages. You can opt out of receiving commercial or promotional text messages by texting the word END to the number sent from the mobile device receiving the messages. You may also opt out of receiving all texts from Hytch (including transactional or relational messages) by texting the word STOPALL to the number sent from the mobile device receiving the messages. Opting out of receiving all texts will make the Hytch Platform ineffective.

Push Notifications. You can opt out of receiving push notifications through your device settings. Please note that opting out of receiving push notifications may impact your use of the Hytch Platform.

Profile Information. You can delete any additional information that you added to your Profile at any time.

Location Information. You can prevent your device from sharing location information at any time through your Device’s operating system settings. However, location information is a core functionality of the Hytch Platform and without that we can’t reward you for your ride-share.

Editing and Accessing Your Information. You can review and edit certain account information by logging into your account settings and profile. If you would like to terminate your Hytch account, please contact us at support@hytch.me with your request. If you choose to terminate your account, we’ll deactivate it for you but may retain information from your account for a certain period of time and disclose it in a manner consistent with our practices under this Privacy Policy for accounts that are not closed. We also may retain information from your account to resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, analyze usage of the Hytch Platform, assist with any investigations, and enforce our Terms of Service, or take other actions as required or permitted by law.

Other

Data Security. We are committed to protecting the data of the Hytch community. Even though we take reasonable precautions to protect your data, no security measures can be 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of your data.

**Due to the nature of the Internet and cellular networks Hytch is not responsible for and can’t guarantee the security of any information while data is being transmitted to Hytch via the Internet**

Children’s Privacy. To earn Hytch rewards requires a “pairing” of two Users above the age of 13 or a User engaged with a Hytch sponsored public transportation rewards program. Hytch rewards are not directed to children, except with Hytch sponsored School Bus Ridership reward programs which are authorized by the participating School District and specifically identify the school bus itself in the pairing. We do not allow matching services for school bus reward programs. We don’t knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 and they are not eligible for rewards. If we find out that a child under 13 has given us personal information, we will take steps to delete that information. If you believe that a child under the age of 13 has given us personal information, please contact us at info@hytch.me.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy. We may make changes to this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make any material changes, we will let you know through the Hytch Platform, by email, or other communication. We encourage you to read this Privacy Policy periodically to stay up-to-date about our privacy practices. As long as you use the Hytch Platform, you are agreeing to this Privacy Policy and any updates we make to it.

Contact Information. Feel free to contact us with questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, our use and sharing practices, or your consent choices.