Trip Safety Policy

Last updated: October 19, 2026

1. Purpose and scope

This Trip Safety Policy sets out RIDEMATE's safety principles and what we expect from everyone who uses the RIDEMATE app (the "App"). It applies to all users: Drivers, who publish trips, and Riders (passengers), who book seats on them, including companions a Rider books seats for.

This Policy is part of the RIDEMATE Terms of Use (https://ridemate.ai/terms-of-use). It works together with the Community Guidelines (https://ridemate.ai/community-guidelines), the Rider Terms (https://ridemate.ai/rider-terms), and the Driver Terms (https://ridemate.ai/driver-terms). Capitalized words mean what the Terms of Use say they mean. If this Policy and the Terms of Use conflict, the Terms of Use control.

RIDEMATE is a digital platform that connects students who want to share the cost of a trip. RIDEMATE is not a transportation company. It does not own or operate vehicles, and it does not employ Drivers or Riders. Each trip is a private arrangement between the Driver and the Riders. RIDEMATE's role is limited to the App: trip listings, chat, ratings, reporting and blocking tools, and payments through Stripe (Terms of Use, Section 2).

2. Our safety commitment

RIDEMATE wants every trip to be safe, respectful, and lawful. To help:

everyone signs up with a school (.edu) email address and a photo of their student ID. Drivers also add a driver's license, vehicle details, and an insurance expiration date. What we check, and its limits, is in Section 4.3 of the Terms of Use;
the App gives you safety tools: the boarding check, Share trip, Help on this ride, and Report or Block (Sections 6 and 7 below).

We check very little. RIDEMATE does not run background checks, check driving records, inspect cars, confirm insurance, or monitor trips in real time (Terms of Use, Section 4.4). A profile is not a safety guarantee.

Because RIDEMATE does not control or supervise users, each user is responsible for their own safety and for following the law. You take part in trips at your own risk (Terms of Use, Section 16).

3. Driver responsibilities

To offer rides on RIDEMATE, Drivers must:

hold a valid driver's license and obey all traffic laws and speed limits where the trip takes place;
drive a vehicle that is registered and roadworthy, with a working seatbelt for every occupant, and never carry more people than there are seatbelts;
have current auto insurance that meets at least Florida's legal minimums (and those of any state they drive in), and follow the insurance rules in Section 4 of the Driver Terms;
make sure every Rider wears a seatbelt;
never drive impaired: no alcohol, cannabis, drugs, or medication that affects driving, before or during the trip;
never drive while tired, and never use a phone while driving except hands-free as the law allows; and
treat Riders with respect, and let a Rider end the trip early at any safe place on request.

The full rules are in Sections 2 to 4 of the Driver Terms.

4. Rider responsibilities

Riders agree to:

be at the agreed pickup point on time;
check the Driver's name, photo, car, and license plate in the App before getting in. If something doesn't match, don't get in;
wear a seatbelt at all times;
behave respectfully and not distract the Driver;
not bring weapons, illegal drugs, or hazardous materials;
pay only in the App: no cash, no payment apps, no side deals;
keep trip messages in the App's chat;
not harass, threaten, or discriminate against anyone; and
make sure any companions they book seats for are 18 or older and follow this Policy (Rider Terms, Section 2.3).

5. Prohibited conduct

These are not allowed for anyone on RIDEMATE:

driving or riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
carrying firearms, other weapons, illegal drugs, or hazardous materials;
harassment, threats, violence, or unwanted sexual contact or comments;
reckless driving, speeding, or breaking road safety laws;
disabling safety features, such as seatbelts or airbags;
discriminatory language or behavior;
paying or accepting cash, tips, or any payment outside the App;
taking anyone who pays for their seat outside the App. Everyone who pays books in the App (companions a Rider books seats for count as booked). A Driver may bring their own friends or family who don't pay;
smoking or vaping in the car, unless everyone in the car agrees;
recording or photographing others without their consent; and
anything else that puts you or others in danger.

The Community Guidelines (Sections 1 to 3) give more examples. RIDEMATE may suspend or permanently remove users who break these rules (Section 8).

6. During the trip

Treat each other with courtesy and respect.
Everyone stays seated and buckled while the car is moving.
Drivers obey all traffic laws. Riders never ask a Driver to speed or break the law.
Keep your belongings with you, and check the car before you leave it.
Anyone can end a trip early at a safe place. Nobody should pressure you to stay.
Boarding check. When the Driver starts the trip, the App asks each Rider to confirm they are in the right car. If you tap Not in This Car, our safety team gets a report.
Share trip. The Driver or a booked Rider can send a trip link to anyone they choose. The page shows the cities, the times, the trip's status, the Driver's first name and last initial, their university, and the car and its license plate. It never shows a map or anyone's live location.

Location. RIDEMATE does not track anyone's location during a trip and keeps no location history. Riders' locations are never requested.

When a Driver taps Start Ride, the Driver's phone checks how far it is from the trip's pickup points. The trip records only the result: whether the Driver started at a pickup, away from it, or with location unavailable; the distance to the nearest pickup; and how many minutes after the departure time the trip started.
When the Driver taps Finish Ride, the phone checks that it is near the drop-off point. Nothing about that check is stored.
The Driver's GPS position itself is not sent to RIDEMATE and is not stored. The pickup map on a trip's page shows the pickup point, not anyone's position.

Details are in Section 3.12 of the Privacy Policy (https://ridemate.ai/privacy-policy).

7. Emergencies and reporting

If there is an emergency during a trip:

Call 911 right away. RIDEMATE is not an emergency service. On the trip's page, Help has a Call 911 button that opens your phone's dialer, and the trip details to read to the dispatcher. RIDEMATE does not call 911 for you and does not send your location to 911.
Once you are safe, tell us. On the trip's page, open Help and tap Report to RideMate. You can also tap Report or Block in the chat or on the person's profile, or email contact@ridemate.ai.

After an accident, Drivers must also follow Section 4.5 of the Driver Terms.

Reporting someone also blocks them by default. How blocking works is in Section 6 of the Community Guidelines. If you cancel a trip because you felt unsafe, tell us: our support team may refund you in full after review.

RIDEMATE reviews safety reports and may temporarily suspend the accounts involved while it looks into them. RIDEMATE cooperates with law enforcement when the law requires it, but it is not a law enforcement agency.

8. What happens after a report

We look at every safety report carefully, but we don't promise a specific outcome or response time. Depending on what happened, RIDEMATE may:

give a warning;
remove a review, message, or trip;
limit what the account can do;
suspend the account; or
permanently remove the account.

For serious safety issues (violence, sexual misconduct, impaired driving, threats, or fraud), we may remove an account immediately and may share information with police or the person's school where the law allows. See Section 7 of the Community Guidelines. If you think we got it wrong, email contact@ridemate.ai and tell us why.

We handle personal data in reports as described in the Privacy Policy (https://ridemate.ai/privacy-policy).

9. Safety tips

Check the trip details before you get in.
Share your trip with someone you trust (Share trip on the trip's page).
If you are riding alone, consider sitting in the back seat.
Keep chat about the trip, and share personal details only if you want to.
If something feels wrong, ask to stop at a safe place, get out, and report it.

Alcohol and drugs. RIDEMATE wants every trip to be safe, respectful, and substance-free. Everyone on RIDEMATE is 18 or older, but the legal drinking age is 21. Underage drinking or any illegal drug use breaks the law and this Policy, and may lead to removal of the account.

10. Insurance and limitation of liability

Insurance. Drivers use their own personal auto insurance. RIDEMATE does not insure drivers, riders, vehicles or trips. Many personal auto policies may not cover carrying passengers who share trip costs, so drivers should check with their insurer before offering seats. Drivers must follow the insurance rules in Section 4 of the Driver Terms. See also Section 14 of the Terms of Use.

Liability. RIDEMATE provides a technology platform that lets users arrange shared trips. It does not supervise, control, or guarantee what users do, and it does not operate vehicles. Users travel at their own risk and are responsible for following all traffic and safety laws. RIDEMATE makes no promise about the safety or reliability of any user, vehicle, or trip.

The disclaimer of warranties, assumption of risk, release, and limitation of liability in Sections 15 to 18 of the Terms of Use apply to every trip, as do Sections 8 and 9 of the Rider Terms and Sections 11 and 12 of the Driver Terms. Nothing in this Policy limits liability that the law does not allow to be limited.

11. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect operational, legal, or technical changes. Each version shows its "Last updated" date and is published at https://ridemate.ai/trip-safety. We make and announce changes as described in Section 23 of the Terms of Use: if a change is material, we tell you in the App or by email before it takes effect.

12. Contact

For safety questions, reports, or concerns, email contact@ridemate.ai, or use Write to Us in the App (Profile > Help).

RIDE MATE LLC · 661 NE 68th Street, Miami, Florida 33138, USA