Privacy Policy

Scope of This Policy

This policy applies to the following products and to the web services that support them:

• GTS Parent (Android and iOS) - used by parents and legal guardians to follow their child's school bus trip.
• GTS Driver (Android and iOS) - used by drivers and bus supervisors while performing school transportation duties.
• The GTS web dashboards used by schools, transport operators and our administrators.

Contact Information

For any privacy-related question, request or complaint, contact us by email at info@geotechapp.com. We reply to privacy requests within 8 business hours and complete them within 30 days.

Information We Collect

We collect only the data needed to operate the school transportation service:

• Account data: full name, mobile number, email address, the student identification number issued by the school where required, preferred language and password.
• Student data: student name, class, school, home address, assembly point and bus assignment. This data is provided by the school or by the parent - students do not create accounts and do not sign in to the Apps.
• Location data: as described in detail in the Location Data section below.
• Trip data: bus boarding and drop-off events, stop status, attendance and absence reports.
• Media: a profile photo that you choose to upload from your camera or photo library. No other photo or file is read.
• Device and notification data: device model, operating system version, app version, preferred language and the Firebase push notification token.
• Subscription data: plan, subscription status, trial and renewal dates, invoices and the payment reference returned by our payment gateway.
• Support data: the messages, calls and reports you send us.
• Technical logs: IP address, timestamps and error diagnostics used to keep the service secure and available.

What We Do Not Collect

We want to be explicit about the data we never collect or use:

• We do not sell or rent personal data to anyone.
• We do not use personal data or location data for advertising, ad targeting or profiling.
• We do not use third-party advertising or cross-app tracking SDKs, and the Apps do not request App Tracking Transparency permission on iOS.
• We do not read your contacts, SMS messages, call logs, microphone or files other than the single profile photo you choose.
• We do not record video or audio. The short animation shown when an App starts is a video file bundled inside the App.
• We do not store your full card number or card security code on our servers.

Camera, Photos and Files

Camera and photo library access is optional and single-purpose:

• The camera is used only when you choose to take a profile photo.
• The photo library or file picker is used only when you choose an existing image as a profile photo.
• The Apps never access the camera in the background and never scan your gallery.
• You can use the Apps without granting camera or photo access; only the profile picture feature becomes unavailable.

Push Notifications

We use Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) to deliver operational notifications:

• Bus departure, approach, boarding, drop-off and delay alerts.
• Absence, subscription and account notices.
• A device token is stored so the notification reaches your device; it is deleted when you sign out or delete the account.
• Notifications are operational, not marketing. You can disable them from the device settings at any time.

Payments and Billing Data

Subscriptions for GTS Parent are processed by Stripe, Inc., a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor:

• Card details are entered inside the Stripe hosted payment page and are never transmitted to or stored on our servers.
• We store only the subscription status, plan, amount, currency, trial and renewal dates, the last four digits and card brand, and the payment reference token used for renewals.
• Invoices and payment records are kept for the period required by United States federal and Georgia tax and commercial law.
• You can view your subscription and cancel it at any time from the billing portal linked inside the GTS Parent app.

How We Use Your Data

We use collected information to:

• Operate school bus tracking, notifications, absence reporting and the "Call My Child" feature.
• Give schools and transport operators the operational information they need to run the service.
• Create and manage your account, subscription and invoices.
• Provide customer support and respond to your requests.
• Keep the platform secure, detect abuse and prevent fraud.
• Improve reliability and performance using aggregated, non-identifying statistics.
• Comply with legal, regulatory and judicial obligations under United States federal law and the law of the State of Georgia.

Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal data on the bases below, which also identify the equivalent statutory basis where a comprehensive state privacy law applies to you:

• Performance of a contract: processing needed to deliver the subscription and the transportation service you signed up for.
• Consent: location, camera and notification permissions, which you may withdraw at any time.
• Legitimate interests: security, fraud prevention and service improvement, balanced against your rights.
• Legal obligation: retention of financial records and responses to lawful requests from competent authorities.

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell personal data. We share it only with:

• The school and the transport operator responsible for the student, so they can manage routes, trips and attendance.
• The parent or legal guardian linked to the student, who can see the assigned bus, its live location during the trip and trip events.
• Processors acting on our documented instructions: cloud hosting, push notifications, mapping and error monitoring, all bound by confidentiality and data protection terms.
• Stripe, for processing subscription payments.
• Law enforcement, regulators and courts in the United States, when disclosure is required by law, subpoena, court order or another lawful request.
• A successor entity in the event of a merger or acquisition, subject to the same protections and to prior notice.

Third-Party Services

The Apps rely on the following third-party services:

• Google Maps Platform / Google Play Services - map display, geocoding and location accuracy.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging - push notification delivery.
• Stripe - subscription payment processing.
• Cloud hosting and database services used to run the GTS platform.

These providers process data under their own privacy policies. We recommend that you review them. We do not authorise any of them to use your data for their own advertising purposes.

App Permissions

The Apps request the following permissions, each for a single stated purpose:

• Precise / approximate location (both Apps) - live tracking, map display and stop verification.
• Background location (GTS Driver only) - continuous bus tracking during a trip.
• Camera and photo library (both Apps, optional) - profile photo only.
• Notifications (both Apps) - operational trip and account alerts.
• Internet and network state (both Apps) - communication with our servers.
• Foreground service and battery optimisation exemption (GTS Driver) - keeping tracking alive during a trip.

Your Choices and Controls

You remain in control of your data:

• Grant or revoke location, camera and notification permissions at any time in the device settings.
• Use GTS Parent without background location - it is never requested.
• Manage or cancel your subscription from the billing portal inside the GTS Parent app.
• Request a copy of your personal data in a readable format.
• Request correction of inaccurate data or deletion of your account and data.

Data Security

We apply organisational and technical safeguards including encryption in transit (TLS), encrypted credential storage, role-based access control, least-privilege administrative access, activity logging, regular backups and periodic security reviews. Access to location and student data is restricted to the school, the transport operator and the linked guardian. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; if a breach of personal data occurs we will notify affected individuals and, where required, the Office of the Georgia Attorney General and any other competent authority, within the periods set by the Georgia Personal Identity Protection Act (O.C.G.A. 10-1-910 et seq.) and by any other applicable state breach notification law.

Data Retention

We keep personal data for as long as the account is active and the service is being provided. Location and trip history stay available while the account is active so that parents and schools can review past trips, and are deleted when the account is deleted or when you request deletion. Financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by United States federal and Georgia tax and commercial law. Backups containing deleted data are overwritten within the normal backup cycle.

Data Location and Transfers

Personal data is hosted and processed in data centres located in the United States. A limited set of data is processed by service providers such as Google (maps and push notifications) in order to deliver the service. Where a provider processes data outside the United States, the transfer is limited to what is necessary and is covered by contractual safeguards with the receiving processor, including standard contractual clauses where applicable.

Google Play and Apple App Store Disclosures

This policy is the reference for our store disclosures:

• The data described here matches the Google Play Data safety form and the Apple App Privacy labels for both Apps.
• Background location is declared for GTS Driver only, with the "bus and vehicle tracking" use case, and is disclosed in-app before the permission request.
• No data collected by the Apps is used for tracking across apps or websites owned by other companies.
• Location data is never sold or shared for advertising purposes.
• Both Apps offer in-app account deletion as required by the Google Play and App Store account deletion requirements.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in the service or in applicable law. Material changes are announced through an in-app notice or email at least 14 days before they take effect, and the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page is revised. Where a change requires your consent under applicable law, we will ask for it before applying the change.

Your Rights

We extend the following rights to every user, wherever you live: to be informed about how your data is processed, to access your data and obtain a copy of it in a readable format, to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data, to request deletion of data that is no longer needed, and to withdraw your consent at any time. If you live in a state with a comprehensive consumer privacy law, such as California, you also hold the statutory rights that law grants you, including the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information - we do not sell or share personal information and we do not use it for targeted advertising. The State of Georgia has no comprehensive consumer privacy statute as at the date of this policy, so we grant these rights to Georgia residents as a matter of policy. To exercise any of them, write to info@geotechapp.com. We reply within 8 business hours and complete verified requests within 30 days, free of charge.

Complaints

If you believe we have handled your personal data incorrectly, contact us first at info@geotechapp.com so we can resolve the matter. You also have the right to file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Georgia Attorney General, with the United States Federal Trade Commission, or with the attorney general of your own state. Complaints about student education records may also be filed with the Student Privacy Policy Office of the U.S. Department of Education.