Hedge End Taxi Ltd, trading as Himalaya Cars, is committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors and passengers. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect and use your personal information when you visit our website, https://www.himalayacars.co.uk/, or book and travel with us. If you have questions or need further information, please contact us at office@himalayacars.co.uk.
Who We Are
Hedge End Taxi Ltd, trading as Himalaya Cars, is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. We are licensed as a private hire operator by Southampton City Council under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, and we are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as required by the Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018. You can check the register of fee payers, or find out more about your rights, at ico.org.uk.
Consent
By using our website or booking our services, you consent to this Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.
Definitions
- Personal Data: data about a living individual who can be identified from that data, either alone or together with other information we hold.
- Data Controller: the organisation which decides why and how personal data is processed. Hedge End Taxi Ltd T/A Himalaya Cars is the Data Controller for the purposes of this policy.
- Data Processor: any organisation which processes personal data on our behalf, such as a payment provider or IT supplier.
- Cookies: small files stored on your device when you visit our website, used to remember information about your visit.
Legal Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR, we only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the purpose, we rely on one or more of the following:
- Performance of a contract: to accept and fulfil your booking.
- Legal obligation: to keep booking and journey records as required by our operator licence and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.
- Legitimate interests: to improve our website and services, and to keep our business and passengers safe, provided this does not override your rights.
- Consent: where you have actively agreed, for example to receive marketing communications, which you may withdraw at any time.
- Payment processing: to enable a third-party payment processor to take payment for your journey.
Information We Collect
We collect personal information when you interact with our website or use our services. This information is collected to enhance your experience, deliver your journey, and meet our legal obligations as a licensed operator. The types of information we collect include:
- Booking Data: Pick-up and drop-off locations, journey date and time, and how the booking was made. We are required to record this under Section 56 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.
- Transaction Data: Details about payments and services you purchase from us.
- Technical Data: Information about your device, such as IP address, current location, browser type, time zone setting, and browsing activity.
- Contact Information: When you register for an Account or make a booking, we may ask for your name, company name, address, email address, and telephone number.
- Information You Provide: When you contact us directly, we may receive additional information such as your name, email address, phone number, and message contents.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:
- Providing, operating, and maintaining our website and booking service.
- Fulfilling our legal obligations as a licensed private hire operator, including keeping booking and journey records for inspection by Southampton City Council, Hampshire County Council, or the police.
- Improving and personalising your experience on our website.
- Understanding and analysing how you use our website.
- Developing new products, services, features, and functionality.
- Communicating with you for customer service, updates, and marketing.
- Preventing fraud and safeguarding passengers, in line with our Safeguarding Policy.
How Long We Keep Your Information
- Booking and journey records are kept for a minimum of 12 months from the date of the booking, in line with Section 56(2) and (3) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and our operator licence conditions.
- Payment records are kept for 7 years for accounting and tax purposes.
- Complaint records are kept for a minimum of 12 months.
- Where data is no longer required for these purposes, it will be securely deleted or anonymised.
Log Files
We follow standard procedures using log files. This data includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and the number of clicks. This information is used for analysing trends, administering the site, tracking user movement, and gathering demographic information.
Cookies and Web Beacons
We use cookies to store information, including visitor preferences and page visits. This helps optimise your browsing experience by customising web page content based on your browser type and other information. The cookies we use fall into the following categories:
- Session Cookies: used to operate our website and booking service.
- Preference Cookies: used to remember your preferences and settings.
- Security Cookies: used for security purposes, such as protecting against fraudulent use of our website.
You can set your browser to refuse cookies, but some parts of our website or booking service may not work correctly if you do.
Payment Security
Where you pay by card, we use third-party payment processors compliant with the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). Your card details are securely tokenised and are not stored by Himalaya Cars; they are only held by our payment processor, whose own privacy policy governs their use of your card information.
Sharing Your Information
We may share personal data with:
- Southampton City Council, Hampshire County Council, or another licensing authority, and the police, where we are required by law to make our booking records available (Section 56(3) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976).
- The National Register of Taxi Licence Refusals, Revocations and Suspensions (NR3S), where relevant to a safeguarding or licensing concern, in line with our Safeguarding Policy.
- Payment processors and IT service providers who help us operate our business, under contracts that require them to protect your data.
- Advertising partners: you may refer to the Privacy Policy of each advertising partner listed on our website. Third-party ad servers or ad networks may use technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons in their advertisements, and may collect your IP address to measure advertising campaign effectiveness and personalise content.
- A prospective buyer or successor, if Himalaya Cars is ever involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of business assets. We would notify you before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
CCPA Privacy Rights (Do Not Sell My Personal Information)
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), consumers have the right to:
- Request disclosure of specific personal data collected.
- Request deletion of personal data.
- Opt-out of the sale of personal data.
- Please contact us if you wish to exercise any of these rights.
UK GDPR Data Protection Rights
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have several rights:
- The right to access personal data.
- The right to rectify inaccurate information.
- The right to erasure under certain conditions.
- The right to restrict processing under certain conditions.
- The right to object to processing under certain conditions.
- The right to data portability under certain conditions.
Please contact us at office@himalayacars.co.uk if you wish to exercise any of these rights. If you remain unhappy with our response, you have the right to complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Children's Information
We prioritise the protection of children using the internet. Our website is not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information online. Where a booking is made for a child passenger, we only collect the information necessary to deliver that journey safely, as set out in our Safeguarding Policy. If you believe your child has provided personal information on our website, please contact us immediately, and we will promptly remove it from our records.
Contact Information
For inquiries or requests related to your personal data and privacy, please contact us at office@himalayacars.co.uk.
Company Information
