Privacy Notice

1. Introduction

Welcome to HopSmart (“we,” “our,” or “us”), a smart public transport and commuter lifehacks platform designed for South African commuters in major urban hubs like Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, and Durban.

At HopSmart, our core philosophy is “Know more. Commute better.” We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our verified commuters and managing your personal information with transparency and respect in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.

2. Information We Collect

To keep our community secure and maintain the trust score of shared transit intelligence, we collect minimal personal information:

• Account Authentication: When you register or log in using your Google Account (SSO), we securely acquire your email address, full name, and profile image URL. We never store or access your Google password.
• Crowdsourced Contributions: We collect and index any commuter tips, delay alerts, route lifehacks, station feedback, and upvote interactions you contribute to our platform. These are associated with your public display username to promote accountability and verification.
• Metadata: Standard network request details (IP address, browser type, and timestamps) are processed for performance tuning, PWA asset caching, and security logging.

3. Location & Spatial Data

HopSmart focuses on practical urban mobility and multi-transport route guidance (Minibus Taxis, Trains, Buses, and e-Hailing connections). We process user-supplied stations, route descriptions, and city selections (Joburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban) to organize commuter feeds. We do not track your device's precise background coordinates without your explicit, on-demand consent for specific routing queries.

4. How We Use Your Data

Your information is used solely to power the HopSmart commuter intelligence ecosystem:

• To display verified contributor indicators on community tips.
• To compute your dynamic Community Rank and Trust Score.
• To enable offline reading and local database sync features via our Progressive Web App (PWA).
• To moderate contributions and prevent transit spam or false reports.

5. Data Retention & Deletion

We retain your account details for as long as you remain a registered verified commuter. You retain the absolute right to view, correct, or request the permanent deletion of your profile and contributions. Should you wish to remove your account, you can initiate a deletion request via our support link or by contacting us at privacy@hopsmart.co.za.

6. Third-Party Integrations

We leverage secure cloud hosting (MongoDB Atlas) and standard OAuth identity management. Your personal profile information is never sold, leased, or bartered to third-party ad networks or brokers.

7. Security Measures

Our database utilizes industry-standard encryption protocols for both transit and resting data. Access is strictly governed to protect our community against unauthorized breaches, ensuring safe commuter communication.