Mero Rides Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Mero Rides rider app and Mero Rides Driver app (collectively, the "Services"), operated by LaMa United Student Association ("we", "us", "our").

By creating an account or using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use the Services.

1. Roles And Definitions

• Rider / User – A person who requests and takes rides using the Mero Rides app.
• Driver / Volunteer – A person who accepts and completes rides using the Mero Rides Driver app.
• Account – The profile you create in the app, including your contact details, preferences, and history.
• Wallet / USA Points – A digital balance or point system used to manage certain payments, pay-offs, or penalties within the platform.

These Terms apply to both riders and drivers unless stated otherwise.

2. Eligibility And Account Registration

• You must be legally capable of entering into a binding agreement in your jurisdiction.
• You agree that the information you provide is accurate, complete, and kept up to date.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any login credentials and for all activity under your account.
• We may suspend or terminate your account if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms, applicable law, or our policies.

3. Use Of The Services

3.1 Riders

As a rider, you agree to:

• Use the app only for lawful purposes.
• Provide accurate pickup and drop-off locations.
• Treat drivers and other users with respect and follow safety instructions.
• Pay any applicable fees, fares, or penalties shown in the app or communicated to you.

3.2 Drivers

As a driver, you agree to:

• Meet and maintain the requirements communicated by us (for example, driving license, vehicle documentation, background requirements where applicable).
• Use the app only while legally permitted to operate a vehicle.
• Follow all relevant traffic rules and safety laws.
• Treat riders and other road users with respect and comply with safety policies.
• Keep your vehicle and documentation compliant with any regulations or organisational policies communicated by us.

We may introduce additional driver-specific agreements or volunteer terms that supplement these Terms.

4. Location Services And Tracking

Our Services rely heavily on accurate location data.

• Riders must allow location access for us to show nearby drivers, estimate arrival times, and provide live trip tracking.
• Drivers must allow continuous location access, including in the background, while they are online and available to accept trips, and during active trips.

If you disable location access, some or all of the Services may not function properly. For details on how we collect and use location data, please see our Privacy Policy.

5. Wallet, Payments, And Refunds

5.1 Wallet And Points

We may provide a wallet or points feature (for example, "USA Points") that can be used for:

• Paying off outstanding balances or penalties
• Prepaying toward future services
• Other uses communicated in-app

Your wallet or points balance is visible in the app. The wallet is not a bank account or stored-value instrument; it is a product-specific feature used within Mero Rides.

5.2 Payment Processing

• Card payments and certain wallet top-ups are processed by Stripe or another authorised payment processor.
• We do not store full card numbers or CVV on our servers.
• By providing a payment method, you authorise us and our payment processor to charge the amounts shown in the app, including fares, fees, penalties, and applicable taxes.

5.3 Charges, Adjustments, And Deductions

We may:

• Charge you for completed trips and associated fees.
• Apply deductions from your wallet or future payouts (for drivers) to settle penalties, negative balances, or other amounts that you are responsible for, as communicated in-app or through separate driver/volunteer agreements.
• Adjust charges in response to disputes, errors, or fraud investigations.

5.4 Refunds

Refund eligibility and timing depend on:

• The specific trip circumstances (for example, cancellations, service failures).
• Applicable local law and organisational policies.

We will publish a more detailed Payments & Wallet Policy that explains when refunds or adjustments may be granted and how they are processed.

6. Cancellations

Riders and drivers may cancel trips via the app, subject to:

• Cancellation cut-off times, if any
• Possible cancellation fees, which will be shown in the app or in the Payments & Wallet Policy

We may also cancel trips in our discretion for safety or operational reasons (for example, suspected fraud, unsafe conditions, or repeated no-shows).

7. Safety And Conduct

We expect all users to:

• Treat others with respect and avoid harassment, discrimination, and violence.
• Avoid using the apps while driving in a way that violates traffic laws (for example, using the phone in hand where prohibited).
• Comply with any safety processes, reporting tools, or incident handling mechanisms provided in the app.

We may investigate reports of unsafe behavior and, where appropriate, warn, suspend, or permanently remove users from the platform. Serious incidents may be referred to law enforcement or relevant authorities.

For further details on how safety-related data is collected and used, please refer to our Safety & Emergency section in the Privacy Policy and Payments & Wallet Policy.

8. Data Protection And Privacy

Our collection and use of personal data is described in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.

By using the Services, you acknowledge that we will process your data as described in the Privacy Policy.

9. Intellectual Property

All rights, title, and interest in and to the apps and Services (including software, designs, text, graphics, logos) remain with us and our licensors.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to install and use the apps on your personal device solely to access the Services, subject to these Terms.

You may not:

• Copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works from the apps or Services.
• Reverse engineer or attempt to extract source code, except where permitted by law.

10. Disclaimers And Limitation Of Liability

• We provide the Services on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind except those that cannot be excluded under law.
• We do not guarantee that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from security vulnerabilities, although we work to minimise such issues.
• To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for:
  • Indirect, incidental, punitive, or consequential damages
  • Loss of profits, data, or goodwill
  • Acts or omissions of riders, drivers, or third parties outside our reasonable control

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so (for example, for death or personal injury caused by negligence).

11. Account Suspension And Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account or access to the Services if:

• You violate these Terms, our Privacy Policy, or other applicable policies.
• We reasonably suspect fraud, abuse, or illegal activity.
• We are required to do so by law or a competent authority.

You may stop using the Services at any time and may request account deletion as described in the Privacy Policy.

12. Changes To These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top and may notify you via the apps or other reasonable means.

If you continue using the Services after the updated Terms take effect, you will be deemed to have accepted them.

13. Governing Law And Dispute Resolution

The laws applicable to these Terms and any disputes arising from them will depend on your country of residence and our organisational registration. We will describe the specific governing law and dispute resolution mechanism (including any mediation or arbitration options) in the regional supplements or on our website.

14. Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms or the Services, please contact:

• Email: {{SUPPORT_CONTACT_EMAIL}}
• Postal address: {{ORGANISATION_POSTAL_ADDRESS}}