Terms of service

1.The agreement

These terms are between you and Chola Chariots Mobility Private Limited. By creating an account, booking a ride, or driving on the platform, you accept them. If you do not accept them, do not use the service.

We are a technology platform. We connect people who want a ride with independent driver partners who provide it. We are not a transport operator, and the driver partner, not Chola Chariots, provides the transport.

2.Your account

• You must be 18 or older and legally able to enter into a contract.
• One account per person, registered to a mobile number you control. Sign-in is by one-time password, so keep that number and your device secure.
• Everything done through your account is your responsibility. Tell us immediately if you think someone else has access.
• Give us accurate information. Accounts created with false details, or used on behalf of someone who is barred from the platform, will be closed.

3.Booking and taking a ride

A booking is a request. It becomes a trip when a driver partner accepts it. We try hard to find you a driver, but we cannot guarantee that one is available at a given time or place.

• The trip begins only when the driver enters the OTP shown in your app. Do not share that OTP before you are satisfied the vehicle and driver match the app.
• Seat and luggage limits are per ride type and are set by law and by the vehicle. A driver may refuse to carry more people than the vehicle is permitted to.
• Helmets are compulsory on bike rides, for the driver and the pillion rider. A driver may end the booking if you decline to wear one.
• Waiting time is free for the first few minutes after the driver arrives; after that it is charged per minute at the rate published for your ride type.

4.Fares and payment

Every fare is calculated by our pricing system from the rates in force for your city and ride type: a base fare, a distance component, a time component, and a minimum fare for very short trips. GST is included in the amount you are quoted.

• You are shown the fare before you confirm the booking. That is the amount you pay for the route you asked for.
• Late-night trips are charged at a higher rate, and fares can rise when demand is high — subject to a ceiling that our pricing system enforces. Any such increase is included in the quote you see, never added afterwards.
• Tolls, parking and permitted state entry fees are added at cost and shown on your receipt.
• If you change the destination, add a stop, or the route changes materially at your request, the fare is recalculated on the same rates.
• You may pay by UPI, card, wallet or cash. Unpaid fares may be recovered from your wallet or by blocking new bookings until the balance is cleared.

5.Cancellations

You can cancel free of charge within the grace period after a driver is assigned. After that a cancellation fee applies, set per ride type, because the driver has already spent time and fuel coming to you.

No fee is charged when the vehicle does not match the app, when the driver is unreasonably delayed, or when the driver cancels. Full detail, including refund timelines, is in our cancellation and refund policy.

6.How we expect people to behave

Riders and driver partners both agree not to:

• threaten, harass, discriminate against or physically harm anyone, on any ground;
• smoke, consume alcohol or carry illegal substances, weapons, or hazardous goods in the vehicle;
• ask the driver to break traffic law, or to take a route that is unsafe;
• damage the vehicle or a rider's property — the cost of repair or cleaning is recoverable;
• use the service to transport unaccompanied minors, or animals other than assistance animals without agreeing it with the driver first;
• interfere with the platform — reverse-engineering it, scraping it, running automated bookings, or trying to manipulate fares, ratings or incentives.

We may suspend or close an account for breaking these rules, and we will tell you why.

7.Driver partners

Driver partners are independent contractors, not employees. They choose when to go online and which trips to accept. Nothing in these terms creates an employment, partnership or agency relationship.

• A partner must hold a valid licence, registration certificate, insurance, permit and fitness certificate throughout, and must keep them current in the app. When a document expires, trips stop until it is renewed.
• Commission is deducted per trip at the rate agreed for that ride type at onboarding, and is itemised on every trip receipt.
• Earnings pass through the driver wallet. Cash collected includes our commission and is netted against the wallet balance; online fares are credited net of commission. Withdrawals go to the partner's own verified bank account.
• Partners are responsible for their own taxes, fuel, maintenance, insurance and any traffic penalties.

8.What we are and are not responsible for

We are responsible for operating the platform with reasonable care: quoting the fare correctly from the published rates, charging you what was quoted, passing earnings to the driver, and keeping your records accurate.

We are not responsible for the driving itself, for the condition of a vehicle, for delays caused by traffic, weather or road closures, or for items left behind in a vehicle. Where we are liable, our liability for a trip is limited to the fare for that trip, except where Indian law does not permit that limit.

Nothing here limits your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, or any other law that cannot be contracted out of.

9.Our name and our software

The Chola Chariots name, logo, apps, website and software are ours. You may use them only to use the service. You may not copy, modify, distribute or create derivative works from them, or use our name and marks in your own material without written permission.

10.Changes, suspension and ending the agreement

We may change these terms — for a material change we will notify you in the app before it takes effect, and continuing to use the service means you accept it. We may change fares from time to time; the rate that applies to your trip is always the one quoted before you confirm.

You can close your account at any time from the app. We may suspend or close an account for a breach of these terms, for fraud, or where we must for legal or safety reasons. Amounts already owed either way survive the closure.

11.Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of India. Talk to our support desk first — most disputes are settled there within a day. If a dispute cannot be resolved that way, the courts at Chennai, Tamil Nadu have exclusive jurisdiction.

Grievances may be escalated to Grievance Officer, Chola Chariots, 2nd Floor, Chariot House, Anna Salai, Guindy, Chennai 600032, Tamil Nadu, support@cholachariots.com, who responds within thirty days.