Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data we collect through the Planch rider app, the Planch Driver app and our websites, why we collect it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the choices and rights you have. It applies to riders, drivers, business and fleet partners, and visitors to our websites.

Planch is an e-hailing platform: we connect riders with drivers, handle trip payments, and support both sides during a trip. Providing that service necessarily involves personal data, including precise location and identity documents. We collect only what the service needs, and we explain each category below.

We collect the following categories of data. Where a category applies only to riders or only to drivers, we say so.

Location, stated plainly. The apps request precise (GPS) location so we can match you with a nearby driver, navigate the route, show live trip progress and calculate fares. The rider app collects location while you are using it to request or take a trip. The driver app collects location while you are signed in and online, including while the app is in the background during an active trip so that your rider and our support team can see the trip progressing. Neither app requests the Android “all the time” background location permission, and we do not track your location when you are offline or signed out.

What we do not collect. We do not collect your contacts, SMS messages, call logs, calendar, installed-app list or files on your device. We do not record in-app voice calls. We never receive your biometric data: fingerprint or face unlock is verified by your device’s operating system and the biometric template never leaves your phone. We do not see or store full card numbers or card CVVs.

• Location (precise and approximate)

  Find your pickup point, match you with a nearby driver, navigate the route, track the trip live and calculate the fare. The driver app also uses location in the background during an active trip so the rider can follow the car.

• Microphone

  In-app voice calls between rider and driver only, while a trip is being arranged or is in progress. Calls are not recorded and the microphone is not used at any other time.

• Camera and photo library

  Upload your profile photo and photographs of your identity and vehicle documents. We access only the images you choose.

• Notifications

  Send trip updates, driver arrival alerts, ride requests, payment receipts and security notices.

• Biometrics (fingerprint or face)

  Optionally unlock the app on your device. Verification happens entirely on your phone; we never receive your biometric data.

• Foreground service and wake lock

  Keep an active trip and an in-progress call running reliably when your screen is off or the app is in the background.

• Network state and vibration

  Detect when you lose connectivity and alert you to incoming ride requests and calls.

You can refuse or withdraw any permission in your device settings. Some features will not work without the permission they depend on — for example, we cannot dispatch a driver to you without location access.

• Create, secure and administer your account, including one-time-password (OTP) verification and sign-in with Google or Apple.
• Match riders with nearby drivers, navigate trips, calculate fares and show live trip tracking.
• Verify driver identity, driving eligibility and vehicle documents so that the platform is safe and complies with transport regulations.
• Process trip payments, wallet top-ups, refunds and driver payouts.
• Enable rider–driver contact for the duration of a trip through in-app voice calls and messages.
• Send transactional notifications: trip status, OTPs, receipts, payment and payout alerts, and account or security notices.
• Provide customer support and investigate incidents, complaints, disputes and accidents.
• Detect, investigate and prevent fraud, abuse and unsafe behaviour, including maintaining reputation scores and reviewing cancellations.
• Understand how the apps are used and fix crashes, so we can improve reliability and features.
• Meet our legal, tax, regulatory and law-enforcement obligations.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not use your data for third-party advertising, and we do not share it with data brokers.

We process personal data under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and, where it applies, other data protection law. Our legal bases are:

• Performance of a contract — to provide the trips, payments and account features you ask for under our Terms of Service.
• Consent — for device permissions such as location, microphone, camera and notifications, and for optional marketing messages. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligation — identity and document verification, tax and financial record-keeping, and responding to lawful requests from regulators or law enforcement.
• Legitimate interests — keeping the platform safe, preventing fraud, and improving our service, balanced against your rights.

With other users.To complete a trip we show your driver your first name, profile photo, pickup and destination, and we show you your driver’s name, profile photo, rating, vehicle details and live location. We do not share either party’s email address, and phone numbers are not exposed when you use in-app calling.

With service providers who process data on our behalf. Each is bound by contract to use the data only for the service they provide to us:

• Google (Google Maps Platform, Firebase Cloud Messaging, Firebase Analytics, Google Sign-In, Google Play services) — Maps, geocoding and routing; push notifications; app analytics and crash diagnostics; sign-in
• Apple — Sign in with Apple and push notifications on iOS devices
• Paystack — Card and bank payments, wallet funding, bank account verification and driver payouts
• Cloudinary — Secure storage and delivery of images you upload, such as profile photos and verification documents
• LiveKit — Connecting in-app voice calls between riders and drivers. Call audio is relayed, not recorded or stored.
• Our cloud hosting and email delivery providers — Running our servers and databases, and delivering transactional email such as OTPs and receipts

With business and fleet partners. If you ride under a corporate or business account, we share trip and fare records with that organisation for billing. If you drive for a fleet partner, we share your trip, earnings and compliance records with that partner.

For legal and safety reasons. We may disclose data to regulators, law-enforcement agencies, courts, insurers or professional advisers where we are legally required to, or where it is necessary to investigate a serious safety incident, fraud, or a legal claim.

Corporate transactions. If Planch is involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, data may transfer to the acquiring entity. We will notify you and this policy will continue to apply until it is replaced.

Our servers are hosted with our cloud provider, and some of the service providers listed above process data outside Nigeria, including in the European Union and the United States. Where data leaves Nigeria we rely on the transfer mechanisms permitted by the NDPA, including contractual data protection commitments with each provider.

• All traffic between the apps and our servers is encrypted in transit using TLS.
• Passwords are stored only as salted hashes — never in readable form.
• Session tokens and sensitive values on your device are held in the platform secure keystore (Android Keystore / iOS Keychain).
• Sensitive actions such as account deletion, password reset and payout changes require OTP or in-app re-confirmation.
• Access to production data is restricted to authorised personnel who need it, is role-based, and is logged.
• We monitor sign-in sessions and can invalidate a session you no longer recognise.

No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your personal data and creates a risk to you, we will notify you and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) as required by law.

When a retention period ends, we permanently delete the data or irreversibly anonymise it so it can no longer be linked to you.

You can delete your Planch account yourself, from inside the app, at any time. You do not need to contact us first.

What deletion removes. Your account is closed and you can no longer sign in. Your profile, profile photo, saved places, device tokens and uploaded verification documents are removed from the apps and deleted from our active systems.

What we must keep, and why. We are required to retain a limited set of records after deletion: trip and fare records, payment, wallet and payout records, and records of safety or fraud investigations. These are kept in restricted storage, are not used to contact you or to build a profile of you, and are deleted or anonymised at the end of the retention periods in section 9. If you have an unresolved trip, dispute or outstanding balance, we may need to complete it before closing the account.

Under the NDPA and comparable laws you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you and receive a copy.
• Correct data that is inaccurate or incomplete — most profile details can be edited in the app.
• Delete your account and data, as described in section 10.
• Object to or restrict certain processing, including profiling used for dispatch or reputation scoring.
• Withdraw consent you previously gave, such as a device permission or marketing opt-in.
• Receive your data in a portable, machine-readable format.
• Lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) if you believe we have mishandled your data.

To exercise any of these rights, email support@planchdigitals.com from your registered email address. We may ask you to verify your identity before we act, and we will respond within 30 days. We do not charge for exercising your rights and we will never restrict your access to the service because you exercised them.

Planch is not intended for anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will delete the account and its data.

We use Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics-style diagnostics to understand aggregate app usage and to fix crashes. This data is tied to a per-installation identifier, not to advertising profiles, and we do not run third-party ad networks in the apps. You can reset the identifier by reinstalling the app, and you can opt out of personalised Google services through your device settings. Our website uses only the cookies necessary to serve the site; we do not run advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

We may update this policy as the service changes or as the law requires. We will post the updated version on this page and change the “Last updated” date above. If a change materially affects how we use your data, we will tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect, and where the law requires it we will ask for your consent. Continuing to use Planch after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.

For any question, request or complaint about this policy or your data: