Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Ahun provides a technology platform connecting riders and drivers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. To operate this service safely and reliably, we must collect certain personal information. We treat your data with respect, collect only what is necessary, and never sell it to third parties.

This policy applies to:

• The Ahun Rider mobile app ("Rider App")
• The Ahun Driver mobile app ("Driver App")
• Our website at ahunride.com
• Any related services, portals, or communications

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information you provide directly

• Phone number — Used to create and identify your account.
• Email address — Used to deliver your one-time verification code (OTP) at sign-in and to send trip receipts.
• Full name — Used to identify you to other users during a trip.
• Profile photo (optional) — Displayed to riders and drivers during trips for identification and safety.
• Vehicle information (drivers) — Make, model, year, and licence plate number, required for registration.
• Identity documents (drivers) — National ID, driving licence, insurance certificate, and vehicle registration, collected for background verification.
• Payment information — We do not store raw card numbers. Payment processing is handled by our partners (Telebirr, Chapa). We store transaction references and amounts.

2.2 Information generated when you use our service

• Precise location (GPS) — Required to match you with nearby drivers, show your position on the map, and calculate routes. Drivers share location continuously while online; riders share location during booking and active trips.
• Trip data — Pickup address, destination address, route taken, distance, duration, fare, and timestamps for every trip.
• Ratings and feedback — Stars and comments you give or receive after trips.
• App usage data — Screens visited, buttons tapped, errors encountered, and session duration. Used to improve the app.
• Device information — Device model, operating system version, unique device identifiers (for push notifications), and app version.
• Communications — Support tickets, messages, and any correspondence you send to our team.

2.3 Information from third parties

• Payment processors — Transaction status and reference IDs from Telebirr and Chapa.
• SMS providers — Delivery status of OTP messages.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and maintain your account and verify your identity
• Match riders with nearby available drivers
• Display driver location to riders (and vice versa) during a trip
• Calculate fares and process payments
• Send trip confirmations, receipts, and OTP codes via SMS
• Send push notifications about ride status, earnings, and account updates
• Investigate safety incidents and enforce our Terms of Service
• Respond to support requests and resolve disputes
• Analyse usage patterns to improve our app and service quality
• Comply with applicable laws and legal obligations in Ethiopia
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unsafe behaviour

We do not use your data for targeted advertising, and we do not sell your personal information to any third party.

4. How We Share Your Information

4.1 Between riders and drivers

When a trip is matched, riders can see the driver's name, photo, vehicle details, licence plate, and real-time location. Drivers can see the rider's name, photo, pickup location, and destination. This information is shared only for the duration of the trip.

4.2 Service providers

We work with trusted third-party companies who help us operate the platform:

• Payment processors (Chapa — supporting Telebirr, CBE Birr and cards) — to process subscriptions and wallet top-ups
• Email delivery (Resend) — to deliver OTP verification codes and receipts
• SMS providers (AfroMessage, Africa's Talking) — to deliver SMS notifications where enabled
• Cloud infrastructure (Supabase / PostgreSQL) — to store data securely
• Push notification services (Firebase Cloud Messaging) — to deliver ride alerts
• Crash reporting (Sentry) — to detect and fix app crashes; reports may include device model, OS version and app state at the time of the error
• Mapping services (MapTiler, OpenStreetMap) — to render maps and calculate routes

All service providers are contractually required to protect your data and may only use it to provide services to us.

4.3 Legal requirements

We may disclose your information if required by Ethiopian law, court order, or government authority, or where necessary to protect the safety of any person.

4.4 Business transfers

If Ahun is acquired, merged, or its assets are transferred, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via the app or email before your data is subject to a different privacy policy.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services. Specifically:

• Account data — Kept while your account is active and for 2 years after deletion, to resolve any outstanding disputes or comply with legal obligations.
• Trip records — Retained for 5 years for financial and legal compliance purposes.
• Location data — Precise GPS logs are retained for 90 days, then aggregated anonymously.
• Driver documents — Retained for the duration of the driver relationship and 3 years after account closure.
• Support communications — Retained for 3 years.

You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time (see Section 7).

6. Security

We protect your information using industry-standard security practices:

• All data in transit is encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher
• Passwords and sensitive settings are encrypted at rest using AES-256
• Access to production systems is restricted to authorised personnel
• OTP codes expire after 5 minutes and are invalidated after first use
• Authentication tokens are short-lived and can be revoked remotely
• Driver documents are stored in a private, access-controlled location — not publicly accessible

While we work hard to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at security@ahunride.com.

7. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access — Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction — Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion — Delete your account directly in the app: Account → Delete account. Your personal data (name, phone, email, photo) is permanently erased. Trip and payment records are anonymized and retained as described in Section 5. You can also request deletion by email.
• Data portability — Request your trip history and account data in a machine-readable format.
• Withdrawal of consent — You may withdraw consent to location tracking by turning off the app or going offline. Note that some features require location to function.
• Complaint — You may lodge a complaint with the relevant Ethiopian data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@ahunride.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@ahunride.com and we will delete that information promptly.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you through the app or by sending a message to your registered phone number. The date at the top of this page reflects when the policy was last updated.

Continued use of our services after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

• Email: privacy@ahunride.com
• Support: support@ahunride.com
• Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Website: ahunride.com