Privacy Policy

Overview & Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how Tiko (“Tiko”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects information through the Tiko Counterman App (the “App”), an Android application used by authorized bus counter staff (“Counterman”, “you”) to book and confirm bus tickets on behalf of partner bus transport companies.

By installing, accessing, or using the App, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

Who this policy is for

The App is used exclusively by counter staff authorized by Tiko or its partner bus operators — it is not distributed to or intended for use by general passengers. Passenger information described below is collected by the Counterman through the App as part of the ticket booking process, not entered by the passenger directly.

1 Information We Collect

1.1 Information about the Counterman (App User)

When a Counterman is onboarded to use the App, we may collect:

Full name
Phone number
Employee/agent ID or counter identification details
Login credentials (e.g., username/password or OTP-based authentication)
Assigned counter location, route(s), and bus company affiliation

1.2 Information about Passengers (collected on behalf of bus companies)

As part of the ticket booking and confirmation workflow, the Counterman enters the following passenger details into the App on behalf of the bus operator:

Passenger name
Passenger phone number
Gender
Travel/route history (origin, destination, date, time, seat number, fare, and boarding point)

This passenger data is collected and processed by Tiko as a service provider / data processor acting on behalf of the partner bus transport companies (the “Operators”), who determine what passenger data must be collected for ticketing, seat allocation, and regulatory or reporting purposes.

1.3 Device and Technical Information

To operate, secure, and improve the App, we may automatically collect:

Device identifiers (e.g., Android ID, device model, OS version)
App version and installation details
Crash logs, diagnostic, and performance data
Date/time stamps of logins and ticketing transactions

1.4 Permissions the App May Request

In accordance with Google Play's permission requirements, the App requests only permissions necessary for its ticketing and terminal operations:

Permission	Purpose
Phone / Call state	To verify device/SIM for account security and support click-to-call to passengers, if applicable.
SMS (read/send)	To auto-read OTPs for login verification and/or send booking confirmation SMS to passengers.
Storage	To save/print tickets, receipts, or cache offline data for areas with poor connectivity.
Camera	To scan QR/barcodes on tickets or ID documents, if this feature is used.
Location	To confirm the counter/route location and detect fraudulent or out-of-zone bookings, if this feature is used.
Bluetooth	To connect to portable ticket/receipt thermal printers, if used.
Internet / Network state	Required for the App to sync live seat layouts and bookings with Tiko's central servers.

2 How We Use Information

We use the collected information solely for legitimate operational purposes:

To enable the Counterman to book, confirm, modify, and cancel tickets on behalf of Operators
To generate passenger and route reports for Operators (e.g., ridership, occupancy, revenue reporting)
To authenticate Counterman accounts and prevent unauthorized access
To send booking confirmations, OTPs, or transactional SMS/notifications to passengers
To detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, ticket duplication, or misuse of the App
To provide customer/agent support and troubleshoot technical issues
To analyze usage patterns and improve App performance, features, and reliability
To comply with applicable legal, regulatory, or law-enforcement requirements in Bangladesh

We do not use passenger or counterman data for third-party advertising, and we do not sell personal information to any third party.

3 How We Share Information

We may share information only under the following strictly regulated circumstances:

With Partner Bus Operators: Passenger booking data (name, phone number, gender, route history) is shared with the relevant bus company for whom the ticket was booked, since they are the data controller for that booking.
With Service Providers: We may share limited data with trusted third-party vendors who help us operate the App, such as cloud hosting providers, SMS/OTP gateway providers, analytics/crash-reporting tools, and payment processors (if in-app payment is supported). These providers are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only for the services they provide to us.
For Legal Reasons: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Tiko, our users, passengers, or the public.
Business Transfers: If Tiko is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Privacy Policy or a policy with substantially similar protections.

We do not share Counterman or passenger data with unrelated third parties for their own marketing purposes.

4 Data Storage, Retention & Security

Server Location: Data collected through the App is stored on secure servers located in Bangladesh and cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS Singapore region).
Data Retention: We retain passenger and route data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill reporting obligations to Operators, resolve disputes, and comply with legal and tax record-keeping requirements, after which it is securely deleted or anonymized.
Account Retention: Counterman account data is retained for the duration of the agent's engagement with Tiko/Operator, plus a reasonable period thereafter for audit purposes.
Security Safeguards: We apply industry-standard technical and organizational safeguards — including encrypted transmission (HTTPS/TLS), access controls, and authentication — to protect data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5 Your Rights and Choices

5.1 Counterman (App Users)

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal account information by contacting us using the details below, subject to Tiko's operational and legal recordkeeping obligations.
You may request account deactivation, after which login access to the App will be revoked.

5.2 Passengers

Passengers whose data is entered into the App by a Counterman may contact the respective bus Operator or Tiko to request access to, correction of, or deletion of their booking information, subject to legal retention requirements (e.g., completed-transaction records that must be retained for regulatory or dispute-resolution purposes).

5.3 Account and Data Deletion Request (Google Play Compliance)

In compliance with Google Play's User Data policy on Account Deletion, Counterman users or operators who wish to request complete deletion of their account and associated profile data may submit a request through any of the following methods:

By Email: Send an email to info@gettiko.com with the subject line "Tiko Counterman Account and Data Deletion Request" including your registered phone number, counter location, and employee/agent ID.
Through your Bus Operator / Administrator: Your counter supervisor or partner bus company administrator can submit a de-provisioning ticket through the Tiko Admin Portal.

Upon receipt of a verified request, login credentials and personal identifier tokens will be deleted within 30 days, except where retention of transactional audit logs is required by Bangladesh law or contractual obligations with transport operators.

6 Children's Privacy

The App is intended solely for use by adult, authorized counter staff and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction) as App users. Passenger data entered for ticketing (e.g., a minor traveling with a guardian) is handled solely as part of the transaction record on behalf of the Operator and is not used for any other purpose.

7 Third-Party Services

The App may use third-party SDKs or services (e.g., Google Play Services, Firebase Analytics/Crashlytics, SMS gateway providers, payment gateways). These third parties may collect information as described in their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third-party services:

Google Play Services: https://policies.google.com/privacy

8 International Data Transfers

If data is stored or processed on servers located outside Bangladesh, we take reasonable steps to ensure it receives a level of protection consistent with this Privacy Policy and applicable law.

9 Data Safety Section (Google Play)

In accordance with Google Play's Data Safety requirements, we confirm that:

The data types collected by this App (as declared in Google Play Console) match those described in Section 1 of this Policy.
Data is encrypted in transit using standard HTTPS/TLS protocols.
Users and partner operators may request data deletion as described in Section 5.
The App does not sell personal data to any third party.

10 Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other operational reasons. We will post the updated policy on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. Continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11 Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.