1. Who we are

Friends Cars Ltd is the data controller for personal data collected through our website, booking channels and service operations. We are registered at Companies House in England and Wales.

For any questions about how we handle your personal data, please contact us using the details above.

2. Personal data we collect

Depending on how you interact with Friends Cars, we may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Identity data: your full name and, where relevant, the names of other passengers travelling with you.
• Contact data: phone number, email address and home or business address.
• Booking and journey data: pickup and drop-off addresses, journey dates and times, flight numbers, special requirements (e.g. wheelchair access, child seats), vehicle type requested and booking history.
• Payment data: billing details and payment method. Card details are processed securely by our payment provider and are not stored by Friends Cars.
• Communications data: records of phone calls, SMS messages, emails, web chat and social media interactions with us.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited and session data collected when you use our website.
• Location data: pickup and destination coordinates provided at booking, and, where our in-vehicle or driver app is used, GPS location data during your journey.

We do not collect or process special category data (such as health information, racial or ethnic origin, or biometric data) unless you have specifically provided it to us — for example, to request wheelchair-accessible transport or another medical requirement — in which case it is used solely to fulfil your booking.

3. How we collect your data

We collect personal data through the following routes:

• Directly from you when you make or manage a booking by phone, email, website, WhatsApp, web chat or social media.
• From our website, using cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 10).
• From third-party booking platforms or travel agents who take bookings on our behalf.
• From our payment processing partners when a payment is made.
• Through CCTV and dashcam recording where these are fitted in our vehicles, in accordance with applicable regulations.

4. Why we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• To process and confirm bookings and to communicate journey details to drivers and passengers.
• To send booking confirmations, reminders and journey updates by SMS or email.
• To process payments and issue receipts or invoices.
• To provide customer support and handle complaints or disputes.
• To monitor flight times and adjust driver schedules for airport transfers.
• To maintain records required by private hire licensing regulations.
• To prevent fraud, detect misuse and ensure vehicle and passenger safety.
• To improve the quality of our services and the functionality of our website.
• Where you have consented, to send you promotional information about our services and special offers. You can opt out at any time.

5. Legal bases for processing

Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data on the following legal grounds:

• Contract: processing is necessary to perform the taxi or transfer booking you have placed with us.
• Legal obligation: processing is required to comply with private hire licensing laws, tax regulations and other applicable legal obligations.
• Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, including fraud prevention, vehicle safety monitoring and service improvement, where these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
• Consent: where you have given us clear and specific consent to send you marketing communications. You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting us or clicking “unsubscribe” in any marketing email.

6. Who we share your data with

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes. We may share your data with the following categories of recipients where strictly necessary:

• Our drivers: name, phone number and pickup details are shared with the allocated driver to fulfil your journey.
• Partner operators: where a booking is subcontracted to a licensed partner operator, they will receive the minimum booking and passenger details necessary to complete the journey.
• Payment providers: payment data is shared with our secure payment processing partner to process transactions.
• IT and communications providers: who support our booking systems, website, dispatch software and customer communications platforms.
• Licensing and regulatory authorities: we may be required to share journey and passenger records with the relevant local authority or private hire licensing body, or with the police or other authorities where required by law or court order.
• Professional advisers: including lawyers, accountants and insurers, in the course of professional advice.

All third parties who process personal data on our behalf are required to protect it in accordance with applicable data protection law.

7. International transfers

Your personal data is primarily stored and processed in the United Kingdom. Where data is processed by third-party service providers operating outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place — such as Standard Contractual Clauses or an adequacy decision from the UK Government — to protect your information in accordance with UK GDPR requirements.

8. How long we keep your data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and in accordance with our legal obligations. Our general retention guidelines are:

• Booking and journey records: retained for 6 years after the date of the journey to meet tax and licensing obligations.
• Financial and payment records: retained for 6 years in line with HMRC requirements.
• Customer communications and complaints: retained for 3 years after the matter is closed.
• CCTV and dashcam footage: retained for up to 30 days unless retained for a longer period in connection with a specific incident, complaint or insurance claim.
• Marketing consents and suppressions: retained indefinitely to honour your opt-out preferences.
• Website analytics data: retained in aggregated, anonymised form.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

9. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at or call 01342 618082. We will respond within one month. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s supervisory authority for data protection, at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

10. Cookies and website tracking

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to help it function, to analyse visitor behaviour and, where you have consented, to support marketing. Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your browser.

The main types of cookie we use are:

• Strictly necessary cookies: required for the website to function, including session management and security. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: used to understand how visitors interact with the website, using tools such as Google Analytics. We use anonymised data only.
• Marketing cookies: used to deliver relevant advertising through platforms such as Google Ads and Facebook, only where you have given consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences through our cookie consent banner when you first visit the site, or by adjusting your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the website.

11. Security

Friends Cars takes the security of your personal data seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, loss, destruction or disclosure. These include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), access controls on systems that hold personal data, and regular staff awareness on data protection responsibilities.

While we take reasonable steps to safeguard your data, no internet-based system can be completely secure. If you have reason to believe there has been a security breach affecting your data, please contact us immediately at .

12. Children

Our services are not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 without parental or guardian consent. Where a booking involves a child passenger (for example, an unaccompanied minor transfer or school run), we collect only the minimum information necessary to provide the service, and this is provided by the parent or guardian making the booking.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy and Data Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or data processing practices. We will post the updated policy on our website and, where appropriate, notify you directly. The date at the top of this page shows when the policy was last reviewed.

We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of our services after a material change constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact us and make a complaint

For any data protection enquiries, to exercise your rights, or to raise a concern about how we handle your personal data, please contact our team: