Terms of Service

1. Agreement, Ecosystem & Service Provider

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "Passenger", "Shipper", or "Operator") and VroomGo Technologies Ltd ("VroomGo", "we", "us", or "the Platform"), governing your access to and use of the VroomGo transit portal, mobile applications (Android & iOS), fleet management software, dispatch consoles, cashier tills, and customer support channels.

VroomGo operates an integrated multi-modal mobility, ticketing, and cargo logistics platform across the East African Community (EAC), including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo. By registering an account, searching departures, holding inventory, completing a booking, shipping cargo, or utilizing an operator workspace, you express your full consent to these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

Primary Entity: VroomGo Technologies Ltd, Kampala, Uganda. Support Contact: support@vroomgo.app · Telephone: +256 782 246 798.

If you are using VroomGo on behalf of an incorporated entity or transport company, you warrant that you possess the requisite legal authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

2. VroomGo’s Platform Role vs. Independent Carrier Responsibility

Technology Intermediary: VroomGo provides software infrastructure that connects passengers and cargo shippers with independent, licensed commercial carriers and fleet owners. VroomGo enables schedule searches, seat inventory locking, ticket generation, payment routing, live GPS tracking, and digital waybill verification.

Independent Carrier Responsibility: Unless expressly designated in writing, VroomGo is not a direct transport carrier or car-hire fleet owner. The physical journey, carriage of goods, vehicle roadworthiness, vessel seaworthiness, crew licensing, statutory insurance, and adherence to published timetables remain the exclusive legal responsibility of the independent transport operator selected at booking.

Regulatory Licensing: Participating carriers must hold valid operating authorities granted by respective national transport authorities, including the Transport Licensing Board (TLB), Road Safety Authorities, Marine Authorities (for lake ferries), and Civil Aviation Authorities (for flight charters). VroomGo verifies operator licensing upon onboarding but does not warrant against third-party delays, road closures, mechanical failures, or weather disruptions.

3. Eligibility, User Accounts & Least-Privilege Workspaces

• Legal Capacity: You must be at least 18 years of age or possess legal contractual capacity in your jurisdiction to create an account or reserve travel services. An adult may book on behalf of children or dependents and assumes responsibility for their conduct and documentation.
• Account Integrity: You agree to provide accurate, truthful personal information. Creating fraudulent accounts, using disposable fake numbers, or impersonating others is strictly prohibited and subject to immediate account termination.
• Security & Credentials: You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and one-time verification passcodes. Never share your password with anyone, including VroomGo staff.
• Operator Role-Based Access: Operator staff (Owners, Admins, Dispatchers, Conductors, Drivers, Cashiers, Controllers) must access only the workspace features authorized for their assigned role under the principle of least privilege. Account sharing among staff members is prohibited.
• Car-Hire Driver Eligibility: Self-drive vehicle renters must present a valid national driver’s license (or valid international driving permit) and satisfy the operator’s minimum age, experience, and security deposit requirements.

4. Multi-Modal Passenger Bookings, Real-Time Seat Holds & Verification

Real-Time Seat Concurrency Locks: When you select a seat or berth on an interactive layout (bus, train carriage, or ferry deck), VroomGo places a temporary 10-minute reservation hold on that seat in the database. If payment is not verified within this window, the hold automatically expires and releases back to public inventory to prevent lockouts.

Confirmation Standard: A booking is legally confirmed ONLY when VroomGo records an authenticated success callback from the payment gateway (M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, Pesapal) or an authorized cashier till transaction. Browser redirects, bank debit notifications, or mobile screenshots do not constitute proof of booking without an active ticket reference in the VroomGo database.

Tamper-Proof Digital Boarding Passes: Every confirmed booking generates an authenticated digital ticket bearing a unique booking reference (e.g. VRG-2026-XXXX) and an encrypted offline QR code. This ticket constitutes your legal carriage pass.

Ticket Non-Transferability: Tickets are issued in the name of the designated traveler and cannot be resold, transferred, or duplicated. Transport crew may request national identification or passport verification matching the passenger manifest prior to boarding.

5. Cross-Border Travel & Immigration Compliance

Passenger Documentation Obligation: On regional cross-border corridors (e.g. Kampala ↔ Nairobi, Kampala ↔ Kigali, Nairobi ↔ Arusha, Kampala ↔ Juba), the passenger is solely responsible for carrying valid statutory travel documentation, including a valid Passport or National Identity Card with temporary border pass, required transit visas, and mandatory health certificates (e.g. Yellow Fever vaccination cards).

Border Manifest Clearance: By booking an international trip, you consent to your details being submitted to East African border immigration and customs authorities in accordance with EAC Common Market transit protocols.

Refusal of Entry or Boarding: Neither VroomGo nor the carrier is liable for passengers denied boarding, detained, or deported at international border posts (Busia, Malaba, Katuna/Gatuna, Namanga, Elegu/Nimule) due to invalid documents, contraband, or immigration violations. In such events, fares are non-refundable.

6. Multi-Modal Departure & Check-In Rules

• Express Coaches & Shuttles: Passengers must report to the departure terminal at least thirty (30) minutes prior to scheduled departure. Boarding gates close ten (10) minutes prior to coach pullout.
• Passenger Rail & Standard Gauge Railway (SGR): Passengers must arrive at the railway terminal forty-five to sixty (45–60) minutes before scheduled departure for mandatory security scanning and station gate ticket validation.
• Lake Ferries & Marine Vessels: Passengers must arrive at the pier or port terminal at least forty-five (45) minutes prior to sailing. Vehicle roll-on/roll-off cargo must check in sixty (60) minutes prior for deck weight and dimension inspection. All marine passengers must comply with maritime safety briefings and wear life jackets where instructed by crew.
• Regional Flights & Safari Charters: Passengers must arrive at the airport or safari airstrip forty-five (45) minutes prior to scheduled takeoff. Passengers must observe civil aviation security protocols and cabin crew safety instructions at all times.
• No-Show Policy: Failure to report by the designated check-in cut-off time constitutes a passenger no-show. Carriers may release forfeited seats to standby passengers without refund.

7. Fares, Multi-Currency & Payment Processing

• Multi-Currency Pricing: Platform fares and shipping charges are displayed transparently in Ugandan Shillings (UGX), Kenyan Shillings (KES), Tanzanian Shillings (TZS), Rwandan Francs (RWF), or US Dollars (USD).
• Fare Composition: Checkout summaries itemize the carrier base fare, seat selection tier, optional insurance, luggage additions, and the nominal VroomGo technology service fee.
• Supported Payment Gateways: Payments are processed through secure integration with Safaricom M-Pesa, MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, Vodacom M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Pesapal API 3.0, and international Visa/Mastercard networks.
• Payment Security: VroomGo NEVER requests, handles, or stores full card CVV codes or Mobile Money secret PINs. All payment transactions are secured with TLS 1.3 encryption and tokenized via PCI-DSS compliant providers.
• Escrow Protection: Customer booking funds are held securely until trip departure validation or fulfillment milestones are reached.

8. Luggage Allowances, Weight Limits & Prohibited Items

Standard Passenger Luggage: Each passenger is permitted one (1) standard piece of cabin luggage (up to 7 kg) and one (1) hold luggage piece (up to 20 kg for coaches and rail; 15 kg soft duffel bags for safari aircraft). Excess baggage is subject to operator tariffs and payload capacity.

Prohibited Dangerous Cargo: Passengers must not carry or consign hazardous chemicals, flammable liquids, explosives, uncertified lithium batteries, uninspected firearms, contraband, narcotics, or wildlife trophies prohibited under national CITES wildlife laws.

Valuables & Documents: Cash, jewelry, laptops, passports, and essential medication must remain in the passenger’s personal custody inside cabin baggage. Carriers disclaim liability for unescorted valuables placed inside cargo holds.

9. Passenger Cancellations, Rescheduling & Refund Policy

Passenger Cancellation Schedule: Unless an operator advertises a more favorable cancellation term, standard platform cancellations are tiered as follows:

• More than 24 hours prior to scheduled departure: 90% refund of the base fare (10% platform cancellation and processing fee deducted).

• Between 6 and 24 hours prior to departure: 50% refund of the base fare.

• Less than 6 hours prior to departure: Non-refundable.

Carrier-Initiated Cancellations: If a carrier cancels a scheduled service due to breakdown, safety concerns, or operational failure, the passenger is entitled to a 100% full refund or free rescheduling to the next available departure.

Refund Processing Timeline: Approved refunds are credited directly back to the original payment method (Mobile Money wallet or bank card) within twenty-four (24) to seventy-two (72) business hours.

10. Car Hire & Self-Drive Fleets

Inspection Condition Report: Prior to vehicle handover, the renter and operator representative must perform a joint vehicle walkaround inspection, documenting existing mileage, fuel level, tire condition, and exterior scratches via the in-app inspection screen.

Security Deposit Escrow: The operator may require a refundable security deposit. Deductions may be made only for documented damages, unpaid fuel deficits, or traffic penalty tickets incurred during the rental period. The undisputed deposit balance must be returned within forty-eight (48) hours of return inspection.

Prohibited Rental Use: Vehicles must not be used for illegal contraband transport, street racing, towing beyond rated capacity, subleasing, or unauthorized cross-border driving without an operator cross-border COMESA yellow card permit.

11. Cargo Logistics, Digital Waybills & Recipient 6-Digit OTP Delivery

Declaration of Consignment: Shippers must accurately declare goods category, quantity, gross weight, dimensions, and declared commercial value upon booking cargo freight.

Tamper-Proof Chain-of-Custody: Each consignment generates a digital waybill tracking acceptance at the origin depot, driver loading, transit checkpoints, and arrival at the destination warehouse.

Mandatory 6-Digit Delivery OTP: Cargo is released to the consignee (recipient) ONLY upon input and automated verification of the confidential 6-digit one-time delivery passcode sent to the recipient's registered mobile number. Entering the verified OTP confirms physical delivery and transfers custody.

Cargo Claims: In the event of documented loss, shortage, or transit damage, claims must be lodged through the VroomGo Claims Center within forty-eight (48) hours of scheduled delivery, supported by photo evidence and waybill reference.

12. Live GPS Radar, Safety Alerts & Emergency SOS

Informational Tracking: Live GPS tracking is provided for informational convenience based on telemetry transmitted from assigned crew devices. GPS availability may be temporarily interrupted by mountain topography or remote telecom blind spots.

Emergency SOS & Incidents: The in-app SOS button enables passengers to broadcast emergency location coordinates and notify designated emergency contacts during roadside incidents. While VroomGo assists with emergency coordination, users should always notify local police and emergency rescue services directly in life-threatening situations.

13. Operator Platform & Workspace Obligations

• Accurate Inventory: Operators must maintain authentic departure schedules, vehicle capacities, seat configurations, and fare matrices. Publishing false, ghost, or overbooked departures is strictly prohibited.
• Settlement & Financial Integrity: Operator payouts are disbursed in accordance with agreed commission schedules following trip departure verification. Operators must maintain lawful tax and accounting records.
• Staff Oversight: Operator administrators must immediately revoke workspace access for terminated employees to protect passenger manifests and financial cash tills.
• Anti-Discrimination & Safety: Operators must adhere to statutory passenger safety regulations, non-discrimination laws, and reasonable accessibility assistance standards for disabled passengers.

14. Acceptable Use & Anti-Fraud Policy

• Zero Tolerance for Fraud: Any attempt to initiate false chargebacks, simulate payment callbacks, manipulate ticket QR codes, or test stolen credit cards will result in permanent platform ban and criminal referral.
• No Automated Scraping: Accessing, querying, or harvesting seat availability or pricing through unauthorized automated bots, scrapers, or web crawlers is strictly prohibited.
• Platform Review Authenticity: Reviews and ratings must reflect genuine, completed journeys. Submitting paid, defamatory, or fabricated reviews is grounds for account suspension.

15. Intellectual Property & Proprietary Rights

All software, interfaces, brand names, logos, algorithms, and design elements comprising VroomGo are the exclusive intellectual property of VroomGo Technologies Ltd and its licensors. Users receive a limited, revocable, non-exclusive license to use the platform solely for personal booking or authorized fleet management operations.

16. Carrier Liability Limits & Platform Disclaimer

Carrier Statutory Caps: Carrier liability for passenger injury, delayed departure, or luggage loss is governed by applicable transport statutes, including national Road Transport Acts, the East African Marine Transport Conventions, and international Civil Aviation Conventions (Warsaw / Montreal).

Technology Platform Limitation: To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, VroomGo provides its software platform on an "as is" and "as available" basis. VroomGo shall not be liable for indirect, punitive, or consequential damages resulting from third-party carrier delays, accidents, road closures, or force majeure events beyond our reasonable control.

17. Regional Dispute Resolution & Governing Law

Informal Resolution: Before initiating formal legal proceedings, parties agree to submit any booking or payment dispute to the VroomGo Support & Dispute Center for good-faith mediation within thirty (30) days.

Governing Law: These Terms and your use of the platform shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Uganda, with recognition of mandatory local consumer protection statutes across Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda for localized domestic transactions.

Jurisdiction: Unresolved legal disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Kampala, Uganda, without prejudice to statutory consumer tribunal remedies available under local legislation.

18. General Provisions & Amendments

Severability: If any provision of these Terms is determined to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force.

Amendments: We reserve the right to modify these Terms prospectively. Notice of material revisions will be provided via platform notifications or email thirty (30) days before taking effect.

Effective Date: 4 September 2026 · Version: 2.0 (East Africa Multi-Modal Edition).