Privacy Policy
Last updated 30 October 2026
- You don't need an account. Without one, everything you save stays on your phone.
- Your location is used to show what's near you and to plan trips. Points sent to our server answer that one request and are not stored.
- "Share my ride" is off unless you turn it on for a trip, and no one can see a rider who is alone.
- We don't sell your data, and the app has no analytics or tracking.
This policy covers the Transit Mate AU app ("Transit Mate") for Android and iPhone and this website. "We" means the developer of Transit Mate, an independent app made in Melbourne. Questions: hello@transit-mate.com.
Location
The app asks to use your location while it is open ("while using the app" only, never in the background). Your position is used on your phone to centre the map and show where you are. Some features send a point to our server to get an answer:
| Feature | What is sent |
|---|---|
| Departures near you | Your position, to about 10 metres |
| Trip planner | Your start point rounded to about 100 metres, and your destination |
| Walking, cycling and driving directions | The start and end points of the route |
| Dropping a pin | The point you pressed, to look up its address |
Our server uses these points only to answer that request. It does not store them, log them or link them to you, and it keeps no record of who asked.
Searches
When you search for a place or address, the text you type is sent to our server. Our server looks in its own list of stops and passes the search to Photon (photon.komoot.io), an OpenStreetMap address search run by komoot. The address shown for a dropped pin comes from Photon too. Photon receives the search or point from our server, not from your phone, and does not receive your IP address or any identifier.
Directions
Routes are worked out by our own route planner. If it is unavailable, our server asks the public Valhalla service run by FOSSGIS (valhalla1.openstreetmap.de) instead, sending only the start and end points of the route.
Share my ride (optional)
If you tap "I'm on this" on a service, your phone sends its position and the mobile tower it is connected to every few seconds, so other riders can see where that service is. It stops when you tap stop or leave the app.
- Each report carries a random code made for that one trip. Your name, account and phone details are not sent.
- Positions are kept in memory for under a minute and are never saved.
- A marker is shown only when at least two riders are on the same service near each other, so a single rider can never be followed.
- For each service, the server keeps a running average position of each mobile tower seen on it, with no code, time or trail, to learn where towers are along the lines.
Account and sync (optional)
You can sign in with Google to keep your saved services, stops, Home, Work and recent searches in sync between your devices.
- Google shares your name, email address and profile photo with the app. They are shown in the app's Account screen.
- Your account and saved items are stored with Supabase, our database provider. Each person can only read and change their own items.
- The sign-in key is stored on your phone. It is left out of phone backups and transfers, and on iPhone it is kept in the Keychain.
- You can delete your account at any time. See Delete your account.
On your phone
The app keeps your settings, saved places and recent searches on your phone. Recent searches can be cleared in Settings, and uninstalling the app removes all of it.
Services that see your connection
- CARTO (basemaps.cartocdn.com) provides the map images. Your phone downloads them directly, so CARTO sees your IP address and the map area you are looking at.
- Cloudflare carries the connection between the app and our server, and hosts this website. It handles your IP address to deliver the traffic and protect it from attacks.
- Google, only if you sign in with Google.
Advertising
The app doesn't show ads yet. Ads, when they come, will be from Google AdMob, and AdMob may use your device's advertising ID and IP address to show and measure them. This page will be updated before any version with ads is released, to say what is collected and how to opt out of personalised ads.
What we don't do
- We don't sell or rent your data.
- We don't use analytics or tracking tools.
- We don't track your location in the background.
How long data is kept
- Points and searches sent to our server: only while it answers the request.
- Share my ride positions: under a minute.
- Account and saved items: until you delete your account.
Children
Transit Mate is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.
Your choices and rights
You can turn location off in your phone's settings and still use the map, search and departures for any stop. You can ask us what personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct or delete it, by emailing hello@transit-mate.com. We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles. If you're not happy with our answer, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au).
Data and credits
Contains data from the Department of Transport and Planning, Victoria, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Map images © CARTO. Transit Mate is not affiliated with or endorsed by Transport Victoria, PTV, Metro Trains Melbourne, Yarra Trams or V/Line.
Changes
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new date. Changes that affect how your information is used will also be noted in the app's release notes.