BusBuddy Privacy Policy

Introduction

BusBuddy is a mobile application that provides real-time bus arrival information for Assam University, Silchar. This privacy policy will explain how BusBuddy ("we," "us," or "Our") use the personal data we collect from you when you use our application.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with this privacy policy, please do not use our application.

Personal data we collect

Identity: Name, Email, Phone number, photo, University ID card (if uploaded).
Device Information: Device ID, Device Model, Device OS, security Patch date, etc.
Location Information: GPS location.
Usage Data: Information about how you use our application, including pages viewed, features used, time spent, and interactions with advertisements.
Advertising Data: Information collected by third-party advertising networks, including advertising identifiers, IP address, browsing behavior, and ad interaction data (clicks, views, conversions).

Location Information

Foreground Location: With your permission, we collect your location information when you use the app to display your location on the map. This location data is not stored by us unless you explicitly consent to share it.
Background Location (Driver/Volunteer Interface): Drivers and volunteers who opt-in to the driver/volunteer interface grant permission for background location access. This allows the app to track the driver's location and share it with the student interface in real-time. Only the last updated location data is stored.
Student "Inside Bus" Location Sharing (Optional): Students who are currently inside a bus may voluntarily enable the "Inside Bus" feature to share their location. This feature serves as a community-driven bus tracking system that helps other students locate and track buses in real-time. When you enable the "Inside Bus" feature:
- Your current location is shared with other students to help them track the bus you are on
- Only your last location update is stored in our database
- Location data includes GPS coordinates and timestamp
- This feature is designed to supplement driver/volunteer tracking and provide more accurate bus locations to the student community
- You should only enable this feature when you are physically inside a bus
- Location data and timing information may be used for rewards programs (to recognize helpful students), spam/fraud detection (to prevent misuse), analytics, and service improvement
- You can disable the "Inside Bus" feature at any time through the app
- This feature is entirely voluntary and not required to use the app

Permission Information

BusBuddy requires the following permissions to function properly:

ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION and ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION: To show the user location on the map.
FOREGROUND_SERVICE (Driver interface only): To enable background location sharing of the bus.
INTERNET: To communicate with the server and provide features like the map and bus schedule.
ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION (Driver/volunteer interface only): To enable background location sharing of the bus.
POST_NOTIFICATION: To show notifications about the bus arrival or other relevant information.
WAKE_LOCK: To keep the device awake while tracking location in the background.
FOREGROUND_SERVICE_LOCATION: To enable location tracking in foreground service.
USE_FULL_SCREEN_INTENT: To display full-screen notifications when necessary.
SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM: To schedule precise notifications for bus arrival times.

How do we collect your data?

You directly provide BusBuddy with most of the data we collect. We collect data and process data when you:

Register through the app and webpage.
Voluntarily complete a customer survey or provide feedback on any of our message boards or via the app.
Use our application.
Location data is collected when you use the map inside the app.
BusBuddy uses Mapbox API for the map. It may collect your location data, and we are not responsible for that. Read the Mapbox privacy policy here for more information.
Interact with advertisements displayed in the app. Third-party advertising networks may automatically collect data through cookies, web beacons, SDKs, and similar technologies.

Advertisements and Third-Party Data Collection

BusBuddy displays advertisements to generate revenue and support the free availability of our services. We work with third-party advertising networks and partners to display relevant advertisements.

Third-Party Advertising Networks

We may partner with third-party advertising networks such as Google AdMob, Facebook Audience Network, or other advertising platforms. These networks may collect and use information about your use of the application to provide targeted advertisements. The information collected may include:

Device identifiers (such as advertising ID, Android ID, or similar identifiers)
IP address and approximate location based on IP address
Device information (model, operating system, screen size)
App usage data and interactions
Ad viewing and interaction data (impressions, clicks, conversions)
Information about other apps installed on your device

How Third-Party Advertisers Use Your Data

Third-party advertising networks use the collected data to:

Display personalized and relevant advertisements based on your interests
Measure ad performance and effectiveness
Prevent fraud and ensure ad quality
Conduct analytics and research to improve advertising services

BusBuddy does not control how third-party advertising networks collect or use your data. Each advertising network has its own privacy policy, and we encourage you to review their policies:

Your Advertising Choices

You have options to control personalized advertising:

Android: You can opt out of personalized ads by going to Settings > Google > Ads, and enabling "Opt out of Ads Personalization." You can also reset your advertising ID in the same menu.
iOS: You can limit ad tracking by going to Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising, and disabling "Personalized Ads."
Opting out of personalized advertising does not mean you will see fewer ads; it means the ads you see may be less relevant to your interests.
You can also visit the Digital Advertising Alliance's opt-out page at www.aboutads.info/choices or the Network Advertising Initiative's opt-out page at www.networkadvertising.org/choices.

Analytics and Measurement

We use analytics services to measure and analyze app usage, including the performance of advertisements. These services may collect information such as:

How often you use the app
Features you use within the app
Ad impressions, clicks, and conversions
Time spent in the app
Crash reports and performance data

How will BusBuddy use your data?

Process your registration, manage your account.
Authenticate the user and provide the service.
Use location data to show the bus and user location on the map.
Provide background location services (only on the driver side) for continuous location sharing to the Student interface.
Enable students to share their location when they are inside a bus (via the "Inside Bus" feature) to help other students track bus locations in real-time:
- Community Bus Tracking: Display student-shared locations to help the entire student community track buses more accurately and provide redundancy when driver/volunteer tracking is unavailable
- Rewards Programs: Recognize and reward students who contribute to the community by sharing their location while inside buses, verify the authenticity of "Inside Bus" check-ins, and encourage helpful participation
- Spam and Fraud Prevention: Detect and prevent misuse of the "Inside Bus" feature, including false reports from users not actually on buses, location spoofing, and other fraudulent activities that could mislead other students
- Analytics: Analyze actual bus usage patterns, popular routes, peak times, and rider behavior to provide better service and insights
- Service Improvement: Optimize bus routes, schedules, and service coverage based on real student location data and usage patterns
- Personalization: Provide location-relevant notifications and recommendations to enhance user experience
Prevent fraud, abuse, and cyber attacks.
Market BusBuddy services.
Improve the service and user experience.
Comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
Display relevant advertisements and sponsored content.
Measure and analyze app usage and advertising performance.
Generate revenue to support the free availability of our services.
Personalize your experience and show content relevant to your interests.

To whom BusBuddy may disclose personal data

If BusBuddy has a good faith belief that access, use, preservation, or disclosure of such information is reasonably necessary to (a) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request, (b) enforce applicable Terms of Service, including the investigation of potential violations thereof, (c) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security, or technical issues, or (d) protect against harm to the rights, property, or safety of BusBuddy, its users, or the public as required or permitted by law.
BusBuddy may disclose personal data to third parties who provide services to BusBuddy, such as website hosting, data analysis, information technology and related infrastructure provision, customer service, email delivery, and other services.
Advertising Partners: We share certain information with third-party advertising networks and partners to display advertisements. This may include device identifiers, usage data, and other information necessary for ad delivery and measurement. These partners are governed by their own privacy policies.
Analytics Providers: We may share aggregated or anonymized data with analytics providers to help us understand app usage and improve our services.
Sponsored Content Partners: When you interact with sponsored content or paid promotions, we may share interaction data with sponsors or advertisers to measure campaign effectiveness.
Affiliate Partners: If you make a purchase or take an action through an affiliate link or advertisement, we may share relevant transaction information with the affiliate partner for commission tracking purposes.

How do we store your data?

BusBuddy securely stores data in a firestore database and firebase real-time database. All data stored in the database is encrypted. If a user does not log in or use BusBuddy services for more than 6 months, we will delete the user data from our database.

Location Data Storage

For students who enable the "Inside Bus" feature to share their location:

We store only the most recent location update (last location data point) along with its timestamp for each student sharing their location.
Each new location update overwrites the previous one, ensuring we maintain minimal location data.
Historical location data is not stored; only the current/last known location is retained.
This location data is shared with other students in the app to help them track bus locations in real-time.
Location timestamps are used for analytics, rewards validation (to recognize helpful students), and fraud detection (to prevent misuse of the feature) but are aggregated and anonymized when possible.
You may request deletion of your stored location data at any time, and we will promptly remove it from our active databases.
If you disable the "Inside Bus" feature, your location data will no longer be updated or stored.

Your Rights

You can update your account information.
You can request to view or delete your data.
You have control over your personal information.
You can opt out of personalized advertising through your device settings.
You can reset your advertising identifier to limit ad tracking.
You can request information about the data we share with third-party advertising partners.
You can enable or disable the "Inside Bus" location sharing feature at any time through the app.
You can withdraw consent for location data collection at any time, and we will delete your stored location data upon request.
You can choose not to participate in rewards programs if you prefer not to share location data when inside buses.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction. We use encryption to protect your data. We also use secure socket layer (SSL) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to protect the data transmitted to and from our server. However, no method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, BusBuddy cannot ensure or warrant the security of any personal data it receives.

Please note that third-party advertising networks and partners have their own security practices. We encourage you to review their privacy and security policies to understand how they protect your data.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our Service, prior to the change becoming effective, and update the "effective date" at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page https://www.busbuddy-aus.in/privacy.

Contact Us

BusBuddy would love to hear any questions, concerns, or feedback about this privacy policy. If you have any questions about this privacy policy or the data we hold on you, please do not hesitate to contact harshanand.cloud@gmail.com.

Last Updated: Nov 17, 2025