This Privacy Policy explains how Neep collects, uses, shares and protects your personal data when you use the Neep passenger app, the Neep driver app, the bus owner portal and the neep.lk website (together, the "Service"). We handle personal data in line with Sri Lanka's Personal Data Protection Act, No. 9 of 2022.
In short: we collect only what we need to run the Service, we do not sell your data, we do not show ads, and you can delete your account from inside the app at any time.
1. Who we are
Neep is a public transport app for Sri Lanka that helps commuters find bus routes and stops, track buses live, and travel more safely. Neep is the controller of the personal data described in this policy. You can reach us at neepsrilanka@gmail.com.
2. Information we collect
Information you give us
- Account details: first and last name, mobile phone number (used to sign in with a one-time code), and optionally an email address and profile photo.
- Emergency contacts: the names and phone numbers of people you choose to add for safety features. When you pick a contact from your phone, we only receive the contact you select, not your address book.
- Community content:posts, comments, likes, reports, lost & found listings (including photos), and bus stops or landmarks you suggest.
- Saved routes: routes and journeys you save for quick access.
- Bus owner details (owner portal only): National Identity Card (NIC) number, address, fleet names and bus registration numbers, and the phone numbers of drivers you invite.
Information created when you use the Service
- Location data: see Location data.
- Travel history: journeys you complete in the app, such as route, origin and destination stops, distance, duration and estimated fare.
- Safety events: when you trigger an SOS or safety timer, the time, your location, status and any note, so help can be sent.
- Points and rewards: points earned for contributions and your membership tier.
- Technical data: a push notification token for your device, and basic server logs (such as IP address, request time and errors) used to keep the Service secure and working.
We do not collect payment card details, and we do not use advertising or cross-app tracking identifiers.
3. Location data
| Who | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers | While using the app, when you allow location access | Find nearby stops, plan routes, and show your position on the map |
| Passengers | When you trigger SOS or share a live location link | Send your location to your emergency contacts or the people you share the link with |
| Drivers | Only while you are online on a bus, including in the background when the app is closed or the screen is off | Show passengers where the bus is in real time |
Drivers' location is never collected while offline. Going offline stops location tracking immediately. You can turn off location access at any time in your device settings, although features that rely on it will stop working.
4. Device permissions
- Location (including background location for drivers): described above.
- Contacts: only to let you pick an emergency contact. We store only the contact you choose.
- Camera and photos:only when you choose to upload a profile photo or a lost & found photo.
- Notifications: for trip, safety and account alerts.
5. How we use your information
- To create your account and sign you in securely with one-time codes.
- To provide route search, bus stop information and live bus tracking.
- To run safety features: SOS alerts, safety timers, emergency contact notifications and live location sharing.
- To show community posts, comments and lost & found listings.
- To manage fleets, buses and driver invitations for bus owners.
- To award points and show your travel history.
- To send service notifications. We do not send marketing messages without your consent.
- To moderate content, prevent abuse and fraud, and keep the Service secure.
- To comply with legal obligations.
We process your data to provide the Service you signed up for, for our legitimate interest in keeping it safe and working, with your consent (for example, device permissions, which you can withdraw at any time), and where the law requires it.
6. How we share information
We do not sell or rent your personal data. We share it only as follows:
- Passengerssee a bus's live location while its driver is online.
- Other userssee your name and profile photo on community posts, comments and lost & found listings you publish.
- Your emergency contacts receive an alert with your location when you trigger SOS.
- Anyone with a live location link you share can see your location until the link expires or you stop sharing.
- Bus owners see basic details of drivers in their fleet.
- Service providers who process data on our behalf (see below).
- Authoritieswhen required by law, or when needed to protect someone's life or safety.
7. Service providers
- Google Maps Platform (Google): displays maps in the app.
- Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google): delivers push notifications.
- Text.lk: sends one-time sign-in codes and SMS alerts.
- Cloudflare: stores uploaded photos and provides DNS.
- Our cloud hosting provider: hosts our servers and database.
These providers may process data on servers outside Sri Lanka. They may use it only to provide their services to us, under their own privacy and security terms.
8. How long we keep data
- We keep account data, content and history while your account is active.
- Live location share links stop working when they expire or you stop sharing.
- For each bus, we keep only its most recent position, which is replaced on its next trip.
- One-time sign-in codes expire after 5 minutes.
- When you delete your account, we permanently erase your data 30 days later (see below), except where the law requires us to keep something longer.
9. Deleting your account
You can delete your account in the app: Profile → scroll to the bottom → Delete account, then confirm with the code we send to your phone. If you can't use the app, email neepsrilanka@gmail.com with your registered phone number. Full instructions are on our account deletion page.
- Your account is locked and you are signed out immediately.
- After 30 days, we permanently delete your profile, photos, saved routes, travel history, points, community posts, comments and likes, lost & found listings, emergency contacts, SOS history and location shares.
- To cancel within those 30 days, email neepsrilanka@gmail.com. After 30 days, your account cannot be recovered.
- Bus stops and landmarks you suggested stay in the app because they are shared public information, but they are no longer linked to you.
- Your passenger and driver apps use one Neep account per phone number, so deleting it deletes both.
10. Your rights
Under Sri Lanka's Personal Data Protection Act, you have the right to:
- access the personal data we hold about you;
- correct inaccurate or incomplete data. You can edit most details in your profile;
- have your data erased;
- withdraw consent, for example by turning off location, contacts or notification permissions;
- object to or ask us to restrict certain processing; and
- complain to the Data Protection Authority of Sri Lanka if you believe we have mishandled your data.
To use any of these rights, email neepsrilanka@gmail.com. We may ask you to verify your phone number first, and we will respond within the time the law requires.
11. Security
We protect your data with encrypted connections (HTTPS), phone verification with one-time codes, short-lived sign-in tokens, hashed credentials, and restricted access to our servers and database. No system is completely secure, but we work to protect your information and will notify affected users and authorities of a data breach as required by law.
12. Children
Neep is not meant for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their data. Users aged 13 to 17 should use Neep with a parent or guardian's consent. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the Service changes. We will post the new version on this page with a new "Last updated" date and, for significant changes, notify you in the app.
14. Contact us
For questions about this policy or your personal data, email neepsrilanka@gmail.com.