Terms of Service

1. About These Terms

Welcome to Routebook. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Routebook mobile application and related services (collectively, the "Platform") operated by RouteBook LLC ("Routebook," "we," "our," or "us").

By creating an account, downloading the app, or using any part of the Platform, you agree to these Terms in full. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you through the app or by email. Your continued use after notice constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. What Routebook Is — and Is Not

Routebook is a technology platform for discovery and communication. It allows users to post travel routes, search for available routes, and exchange messages with other users to coordinate long-distance travel arrangements.

Routebook provides tools for users to post, find, and discuss travel routes, and provides in-app messaging for users to communicate directly with each other. Routebook does not provide, arrange, or contract for transportation services; does not employ, endorse, screen, or supervise any user; does not process, hold, escrow, or facilitate payments of any kind; does not perform background checks, criminal record checks, driving record checks, or assess insurance coverage, vehicle condition, or licensing status of any user; does not guarantee the safety, reliability, or conduct of any user; does not guarantee that any trip will occur, be completed, or be as described; and is not a transportation company, transportation network company (TNC), carrier, broker, or agent for any user.

Routebook is a discovery and coordination platform for genuine cost-sharing carpool arrangements — trips that drivers are already making, joined by riders traveling the same route. The cost-sharing structure is designed to fit within longstanding statutory carpool exemptions to transportation-carrier and TNC regulation, including:

• California Public Utilities Code §5384(b) — exempts "the transportation of persons between home and work locations or in connection with work" from Transportation Charter Party (TCP) permit requirements where compensation does not exceed the driver's actual expenses;
• Arizona Revised Statutes §28-9102 — defines a "carpool" as an arrangement in which the driver-owner uses the vehicle for personal transportation and receives no more than reimbursement for the vehicle's operating expenses;
• Texas Occupations Code §2402.002(a)(2) — carves shared-expense arrangements out of the definition of a transportation network company;
• and comparable "share-the-expense" carpool provisions in other states.

Amounts a driver may accept from a rider through the Platform are capped at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service standard business mileage rate applied to the shared portion of the trip. This cap is enforced in the Platform's pricing interface. Self-labeling as a non-TNC does not automatically exempt a platform from state transportation regulation; the exemption depends on the actual economic reality of each trip, which is why the representations in Section 6.1 (including that the trip would occur regardless of any user booking) are material to your use of the Platform.

Routebook does require every user to complete a government-ID verification check, performed on our behalf by Persona Identities, Inc. through its Persona product, before that user may post a route or send a seat request. This check consists of a scan of a government-issued identity document combined with a real-time selfie that Persona compares against the photo on the document. The check confirms document authenticity and that the person submitting the check is the person shown on the document. It also enforces our minimum-age requirement: users whom Persona determines are under 18 are automatically rejected and cannot use the Platform. Verification is a platform access prerequisite only; it is not a background check, does not screen for criminal history, driving record, sobriety, insurance, or vehicle condition, and is not displayed as a badge to other users. See Section 5.6 for the full operational details.

When users choose to travel together, they do so entirely at their own discretion and risk. Routebook has no involvement in, control over, or responsibility for any arrangements made between users, any payment or exchange of value that may occur outside the Platform, or any trip that results from use of the Platform.

3. Eligibility

3.1 Baseline Requirements

To use Routebook you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract under the laws of your jurisdiction
• Not be barred from using the Platform under applicable law
• Provide accurate and complete registration information, including a legal name and government-issued identification when we ask for it

3.2 Safety Representations

Because Routebook is used to arrange travel between strangers, community safety is a condition of access. You represent, warrant, and covenant — at registration and every time you use the Platform — that none of the following is true of you:

1. You have ever been convicted of, or pled guilty or no contest to:
   1. any sexual offense — including sexual assault, sexual abuse, indecent exposure, child pornography, solicitation, or any offense that requires registration on a sex-offender registry in any jurisdiction;
   2. any crime against a child or vulnerable adult;
   3. any homicide offense — murder, manslaughter, or vehicular homicide;
   4. any terrorism-related offense or offense involving human trafficking, smuggling, or exploitation;
2. In the past seven (7) years, you have been convicted of, or pled guilty or no contest to:
   1. any felony offense under the laws of any jurisdiction not already covered by paragraph (a);
   2. any crime of violence — including assault, battery, domestic violence, stalking, harassment, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or robbery;
   3. any offense involving the unlawful use, possession, or trafficking of a weapon;
   4. any offense involving fraud, theft, identity theft, embezzlement, forgery, or dishonesty;
   5. any offense involving the manufacture, distribution, or trafficking of controlled substances;
   6. any DUI, DWI, reckless driving, hit-and-run, or driving-while-license-suspended offense (if you use the Platform to offer rides);
3. You currently appear on any sex-offender registry, any government sanctions list (including OFAC), any terrorism watch list, or any outstanding-warrant database in any jurisdiction;
4. You are currently subject to a protective order, restraining order, no-contact order, or similar court order arising from any offense described in (a) or (b);
5. Your driver's license is suspended, revoked, or restricted in any way that would make it unlawful for you to operate a vehicle (if you use the Platform to offer rides).

3.3 Ongoing Duty to Disclose

If any of the representations in Section 3.2 becomes untrue at any time while your account is active, you must immediately stop using the Platform and notify us at the contact address in Section 15.5. Continued use after any such change is a material breach of these Terms.

3.4 Identity Verification and Background Checks

Routebook currently requires every user to complete a government-ID verification check via Persona before posting a route or sending a seat request. The operational details of that check are described in Section 5.6. By registering, you authorize Routebook and its agents (including Persona) to conduct that check, and you further authorize Routebook and its agents — directly or through third-party consumer reporting agencies — to conduct at any time additional checks including driving-record checks, motor-vehicle-report checks, criminal-history checks, sex-offender-registry checks, and sanctions-list screening. You agree to cooperate with any such check, including providing accurate personal information, any required written consents, and access to any additional documents we reasonably request. Refusal to cooperate with any required check is grounds for immediate account termination.

Routebook is not obligated to perform any check beyond the Persona verification described in Section 5.6, and does not represent that any additional check has been performed on any user, including yourself. Where a check has been performed, no check is exhaustive, and passing a check does not warrant that a user is safe.

3.5 Termination for Ineligibility

We may — at our sole discretion, without notice, and without refund of any fees paid — suspend or permanently terminate your account and remove you from the Platform if we determine or reasonably suspect that you do not meet the requirements of Sections 3.1–3.2, that you provided false or misleading information in connection with these requirements, or that your continued presence on the Platform presents a safety risk to other users. Where permitted by law, we may also cooperate with law enforcement, share information related to suspected violations with the appropriate authorities, and take any other action we consider necessary to protect the community.

Nothing in this Section 3 limits any other right we have to remove you or refuse service for any reason permitted by applicable law.

4. Accounts

4.1 Registration

You must create an account to access most Platform features. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information; keep your account information up to date; maintain control of the phone number used to register the account; and notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to your account. Routebook does not verify the accuracy of self-entered profile information other than the government-ID verification performed by Persona (see Section 5.6). You are solely responsible for the content of your account profile.

4.2 One Account Per Person

Accounts are personal and non-transferable. You may not create or maintain more than one account, operate an account on behalf of another person without disclosure, or use automation to create or manage accounts.

4.3 Phone Number Authentication

Account creation and every subsequent sign-in require you to verify possession of a working mobile phone number. Phone verification is performed on our behalf by Firebase Authentication, a service provided by Google LLC. When you sign in, your phone number is transmitted to Firebase, Firebase sends a one-time verification code to that number by SMS, and once you enter the code back into the app Firebase returns an authentication token to us. Routebook stores your phone number and a cryptographically derived credential used to attach your Firebase-authenticated session to your Routebook account; Routebook does not store any password you type, because there is no password to type. You are responsible for maintaining control of the SIM/eSIM associated with your registered phone number; loss of control of that number can result in loss of access to your account.

4.4 Account Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, for any reason or no reason, with or without notice. You may delete your account at any time through the app settings.

5. Platform Features

5.1 Route Posting

Users may post descriptions of travel routes they are driving, including departure location, destination, date or schedule, and the number of available seats. Routebook does not verify any information contained in a route posting. Route postings are user-generated content and Routebook makes no representation about their accuracy, availability, or the identity of the person who posted them.

Any amount shown in a route posting is a cost-sharing contribution set by the posting user. Routebook may display a reference range for informational purposes only. Routebook makes no representation that any particular price constitutes lawful cost-sharing under applicable law. Users are solely responsible for ensuring their travel arrangements comply with all applicable laws in their jurisdiction.

5.2 Route Search and Discovery

Users may search for posted routes by origin, destination, and date. Search results are provided for convenience only and do not constitute an endorsement of any route or user.

5.3 Invitations

Users may send and receive invitations to coordinate travel. An invitation is a communication feature only — it is not a contract, booking, or guarantee of transportation. Routebook is not a party to any arrangement made through the invitation feature.

5.4 Messaging

Routebook provides in-app messaging so users can communicate directly with each other. All coordination, confirmation, and terms of travel are entirely between the users involved. Routebook is not a party to those communications and does not monitor them in real time. You agree to use messaging in compliance with these Terms and our Community Guidelines.

5.5 No Payment Processing

Routebook does not process, handle, hold, or facilitate payments of any kind. If users choose to exchange money in connection with a travel arrangement, that exchange is entirely private between those users and Routebook has no involvement, liability, or visibility into it. Routebook makes no representation about any pricing shown in route postings. Prices shown are set unilaterally by the posting user and do not reflect any commitment by Routebook.

5.6 Identity Verification

Before you may post a route or send a seat request, you must complete an identity verification session powered by Persona, a service provided by Persona Identities, Inc. There are two tiers:

• General verification (required to send a seat request): you submit any government-issued identity document — a driver's license, passport, or national ID card — along with a real-time selfie. Persona extracts the data on the document and compares the selfie against the document photo.
• Driver-tier verification (required to post a route): you must specifically submit a driver's license (rather than a passport or ID card), together with the same selfie match.

In both tiers, if Persona determines from the document that you are under 18 years of age, your verification is automatically rejected as ineligible and your submitted document images are redacted from Persona as soon as the age determination is made. You will not be able to complete registration or use the Platform. Users who pass verification may be re-verified from time to time and may be required to complete a fresh Persona session before continuing to use the Platform.

When Persona returns a successful verification result, the profile name on your Routebook account is automatically overwritten to match the full name reported on your government ID, so that your displayed name on the Platform equals your legal name. If you object to your legal name being displayed to other users, do not complete verification.

Your government-ID document images and biometric selfie data are transmitted directly to Persona and are processed and retained by Persona under Persona's own privacy policy and retention policy. Routebook does not receive or store your ID document images or biometric templates. Routebook receives only the verification outcome (verified, requires input, canceled, or age-ineligible), the document type submitted, and the name and date of birth extracted from the document. You may request Persona to redact the identity data associated with your verification session at any time — see our Privacy Policy for details.

Verification confirms identity — it does not screen for criminal history, driving record, sobriety, insurance, or vehicle condition. Verification is not an endorsement or guarantee of safety. Routebook reserves the right to revoke Platform access at any time based on verification outcome or otherwise, in its sole discretion.

6. User Conduct

6.1 When You Offer a Ride

If you use the Platform to post a route or otherwise offer to carry another user in your vehicle, you represent and warrant, at all times you offer or provide such a ride, that:

1. you hold a valid, unexpired driver's license issued in the jurisdiction in which you will be operating your vehicle;
2. the vehicle you will use is currently registered, in safe operating condition, and meets all applicable inspection and equipment requirements in the jurisdiction in which you will be operating it;
3. you maintain valid automobile liability insurance at or above the minimum coverage required by law in the jurisdiction in which you will be operating your vehicle, covering both the vehicle you will use and any other user you transport in it;
4. you have disclosed to your automobile insurer any use of your vehicle for peer-to-peer ride-sharing or cost-sharing arrangements, and you have confirmed that such use is not excluded from coverage under your policy. You understand that many personal automobile insurance policies exclude coverage when a vehicle is used to carry others for any form of compensation, including cost-sharing, and that you are solely responsible for ensuring your policy provides coverage for your use of the Platform;
5. no legal, medical, or personal condition impairs your ability to safely operate a vehicle at the time of any ride;
6. any amount you request or accept from another user in connection with a ride represents a good-faith contribution toward the actual costs of the trip (such as fuel, tolls, and vehicle wear) and does not exceed those costs in a manner that would constitute the operation of a commercial transportation service under applicable law;
7. the trip you have posted is one you would take regardless of whether any other user requests or books a seat. Your route on the Platform reflects a personal trip you are already making — you are not being dispatched, hired, or induced to make the trip by any user or by Routebook.

You further acknowledge that Routebook does not verify any of the foregoing and does not provide any insurance, coverage, or indemnification for you, your vehicle, or any other user in your vehicle. Breach of any representation in this Section 6.1 is a material breach of these Terms and subjects you to the full indemnification obligations set forth in Section 12.

6.1.1 Personal Auto Insurance — Important Warning

Most personal automobile insurance policies contain a "livery" or "for-hire" exclusion that voids coverage when the vehicle is used to carry other people for compensation of any kind — and some insurers apply this exclusion even to cost-sharing arrangements where the driver receives no profit. Coverage varies by carrier, state, and policy.

Before you post a route on Routebook, you should:

• Contact your insurer and confirm in writing whether your policy covers cost-sharing carpool arrangements as described in these Terms;
• Ask about a "ride-sharing" or "carpool" endorsement if your carrier offers one. Many major U.S. carriers offer such endorsements for approximately $15–$30 per month; and
• Reconsider whether to use the Platform if you cannot confirm coverage.

Routebook does not sell insurance, does not verify any user's insurance, and does not indemnify you if your personal insurer denies a claim on livery-exclusion grounds.

6.2 Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to use the Platform to:

• Post false, misleading, or deceptive content
• Impersonate any person or entity, or use a profile name that does not match your legal name in order to circumvent identity verification
• Submit fraudulent, altered, or borrowed documents during identity verification
• Harass, threaten, stalk, or intimidate any user
• Discriminate against any user based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic
• Solicit or distribute illegal content
• Collect user data without consent
• Use automated tools, bots, or scrapers
• Post or transmit malicious code
• Interfere with the Platform's operation or infrastructure
• Violate any applicable law or regulation
• Use the Platform to operate an unlicensed commercial transportation service

Violations may result in immediate account suspension and may be referred to law enforcement where appropriate.

7. Safety Is Your Responsibility

Routebook requires every user to complete government-ID verification via Persona before posting a route or requesting a seat (see Section 5.6). All users on the Platform have completed this check as a prerequisite to using the Platform. No verification badge is displayed on user profiles — verification is an access gate, not a public marker.

Verification confirms identity — it does not assess fitness to drive, criminal history, driving record, insurance status, vehicle condition, sobriety, or any other factor relevant to safety. Routebook does not perform background checks of any kind. Verification is not an endorsement or guarantee of safety.

Before choosing to travel with another user, you are solely responsible for determining whether you are comfortable with that person; verifying any information you consider material (license, insurance, vehicle, etc.) directly with the other user; assessing the risks of traveling with a stranger; and taking whatever safety precautions you consider appropriate.

Routebook strongly encourages all users to exercise caution and good judgment. We recommend sharing your trip plans with a trusted third party before traveling with someone you have not previously met.

Insurance. Routebook does not provide or arrange any form of automobile insurance for users, vehicles, or trips arranged through the Platform. All automobile insurance is the responsibility of the user whose vehicle is being used for a given trip. Routebook does not verify whether any user holds automobile insurance, whether such insurance is currently in force, or whether the user's policy provides coverage during a trip arranged through the Platform. Many personal automobile policies exclude coverage for peer-to-peer ride-sharing or cost-sharing use. You are solely responsible for satisfying yourself, before entering another user's vehicle, that you are comfortable with the arrangement and any associated risk.

Verification makes identity knowable. It does not make a trip safe. Safety is your responsibility.

8. Reviews and Ratings

After an interaction, users may leave ratings and reviews of other users. You agree that any review you submit reflects your honest, first-hand experience; does not contain false statements of fact; does not contain personal identifying information about other users; and complies with our Community Guidelines. Routebook may remove reviews that violate these Terms at our discretion but has no obligation to do so.

9. Intellectual Property

9.1 Our IP

The Platform, including its design, code, trademarks, logos, and original content, is owned by or licensed to Routebook and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, reverse engineer, or create derivative works without our written permission.

9.2 Your Content

By submitting content to the Platform (including profile information, route postings, messages, and reviews), you grant Routebook a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, display, and use that content to operate and improve the Platform. You represent that you have all rights necessary to grant this license.

10. Disclaimers

11. Limitation of Liability

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Routebook and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to your use of the Platform, your violation of these Terms, your violation of any applicable law, any travel arrangement you participate in through the Platform, any content you submit to the Platform, or any dispute between you and another user.

13. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY. IT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHT TO FILE A LAWSUIT IN COURT.

13.1 Informal Resolution

Before initiating any formal proceeding, you agree to contact Routebook at [email protected] and attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

13.2 Binding Arbitration

If a dispute is not resolved informally, you and Routebook agree that any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform will be resolved by binding individual arbitration under the then-current AAA Consumer Arbitration Rules, rather than in court.

13.3 Class Action Waiver

YOU AND ROUTEBOOK AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

13.4 Exceptions

Either party may seek emergency injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction. Claims that qualify for small claims court are excluded from mandatory arbitration.

13.5 Opt-Out Right

You may opt out of the arbitration agreement and class action waiver in Sections 13.2–13.3 by sending written notice to [email protected] within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. Your notice must include your full legal name, the email address associated with your account, and the statement: "I opt out of the Routebook arbitration and class waiver provisions." Opting out does not affect any other portion of these Terms and does not affect Routebook's other services or your ability to use the Platform.

13.6 California Residents — Waiver of Civil Code §1542

If you are a resident of California, you expressly waive and release any and all rights and benefits under California Civil Code §1542, which provides: "A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party." You understand and acknowledge the significance of this waiver.

13.7 Governing Law and Venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles. For claims not subject to arbitration, you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in California.

14. Third-Party Services

The Platform relies on the following third-party service providers to deliver core functionality. Your use of those services is governed by their respective terms and privacy policies; Routebook is not responsible for their acts or omissions. A summary of the data flows to each is set out in our Privacy Policy.

• Supabase — primary database, authenticated session storage, and edge-function hosting.
• Firebase Authentication (Google LLC) — phone-number verification during sign-in (see Section 4.3).
• Persona (Persona Identities, Inc.) — government-ID document and selfie verification (see Section 5.6).
• Google Maps Platform / Places (Google LLC) — address geocoding, autocomplete, and directions.
• Sentry — crash-report and performance-diagnostic collection.
• Expo Push Notification service (Expo) — routing of APNS and FCM push notifications to your device.

15. General Provisions

15.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, Community Guidelines, and Cancellation Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Routebook regarding the Platform.

15.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, it will be severed and the remaining Terms will continue in full force.

15.3 Waiver

Failure to enforce any provision does not constitute a waiver of that provision.

15.4 Assignment

You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms. We may assign ours without restriction.

15.5 Contact

RouteBook LLC  ·  [email protected]

15.6 Platform Operator; Third-Party Accounts

The Platform is owned and operated by RouteBook LLC. All rights, obligations, revenues, expenses, and liabilities arising from the operation of the Platform belong to RouteBook LLC, and not to any individual member, officer, employee, or founder of RouteBook LLC.

Certain third-party accounts, memberships, and registrations required for the operation of the Platform — including but not limited to the Apple Developer Program membership under which the Routebook mobile application is distributed, and any related developer, publisher, or vendor accounts — may, due to the policies of the applicable third-party provider, be registered in the name of an individual founder or member of RouteBook LLC rather than in the name of RouteBook LLC directly. Any such account is held by that individual solely as nominee and trustee for the sole benefit of RouteBook LLC. All fees paid, revenues received, obligations incurred, and rights arising under such accounts are, and at all times have been, the property and responsibility of RouteBook LLC.

No individual who holds any such third-party account in a nominee capacity is a party to these Terms, is the operator of the Platform, or has any personal liability to any user arising from or relating to the Platform, and no user shall have any claim against any such individual in his or her personal capacity based on the operation of the Platform.