Privacy Policy

🏫 Introduction

The SCEP Bus Tracking Application is a mobile and web application developed for Satpuda College of Engineering & Polytechnic, Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, India. This application enables students, parents, faculty, and staff to track college buses in real-time, manage digital bus passes, and receive important transport-related notifications.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and handle your personal information when you use the SCEP Bus Tracking Application. By using our application, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

📋 Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information to provide and improve our services:

• Personal Information: Full name, email address, phone number
• Student/Staff Information: Enrollment number, department, year, designation
• Bus Pass Information: Route details, pass validity, pass type
• Authentication Data: Login credentials, authentication tokens
• Device Information: Device model, operating system, app version
• FCM Token: Firebase Cloud Messaging token for push notifications
• GPS Location: Real-time location data (only when using bus tracking features)
• Bus Pass Photos: Profile photos uploaded for digital bus pass (up to 3 per academic year)

🎯 Why We Collect Data

Your data is collected and used for the following purposes:

• Authentication: To verify your identity and provide secure access to the app
• Bus Tracking: To display real-time bus locations and estimated arrival times
• Digital Bus Pass: To issue, validate, and manage digital bus passes
• Notifications: To send bus updates, route changes, and important announcements
• Route Management: To manage and optimize bus routes and schedules
• Security: To detect and prevent fraud, unauthorized access, and misuse
• Support: To respond to your queries, complaints, and support requests

📍 Location Permission

The SCEP Bus Tracking Application requests location permission solely for transport-related features, including real-time bus tracking, route navigation, and stop proximity alerts.

Your location data is used exclusively within the application for these purposes. We do not sell, rent, or share your location information with third parties for advertising or marketing purposes. Location tracking is active only when you are using the relevant transport features of the app.

Background Location Access

This app collects location data in the background to enable the following core functionality:

• Automatic Attendance: When your assigned bus is moving, the app tracks your location in the background to verify boarding and automatically mark attendance without manual intervention.
• Proximity Alerts: To notify you when the bus is approaching your stop, even when the app is minimized or the screen is locked.

Background location tracking is active only while your assigned bus is in motion (detected automatically via bus speed). When the bus stops or the trip ends, background location tracking is paused immediately. No location data is collected while the bus is stationary.

You can stop background location tracking at any time by logging out of the app or revoking location permission in your device settings.

🔔 Notification Permission

We request notification permission to keep you informed about:

• Bus Updates: Real-time arrival and departure alerts for your bus route
• Route Changes: Notifications about route modifications, diversions, or cancellations
• Announcements: Important college transport announcements and schedule changes
• Emergency Alerts: Urgent notifications regarding safety or service disruptions

You may disable notifications at any time through your device settings.

🤝 Data Sharing

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to any third party. Your data is shared only with the following trusted service providers essential to the app's functionality:

• Firebase (Google): For authentication, database storage, cloud messaging, and analytics
• Google Maps: For real-time bus tracking, route display, and location services

All data shared with these providers is governed by their respective privacy policies and is used solely for delivering the app's core features.

🔐 Data Security

We take the security of your data seriously and implement industry-standard measures to protect it:

• Encryption: Data is encrypted in transit and at rest using modern encryption protocols
• Secure Authentication: Firebase Authentication with multi-factor options ensures secure access
• Access Control: Role-based access control limits data access to authorized personnel only
• Industry Standards: We follow best practices and regularly review our security measures

While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We encourage users to protect their login credentials and report any suspicious activity immediately.

👶 Children's Privacy

The SCEP Bus Tracking Application is designed exclusively for authorized users of Satpuda College of Engineering & Polytechnic. This includes enrolled students, their parents or guardians, faculty members, and college staff.

The application is not intended for use by children under the age of 13 without parental consent. If we become aware that personal data has been collected from a child without appropriate authorization, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

⚖️ User Rights

As a user of the SCEP Bus Tracking Application, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to Correction: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Deletion: You may request deletion of your account and associated data
• Right to Contact: You may reach out to us at any time with privacy-related concerns

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our support team using the details provided below.

📞 Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

• Email: support@satpudaengineeringcollege.com
• Website: bustracker.satpudaengineeringcollege.com
• Address: Satpuda College of Engineering & Polytechnic, Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, India