Updated August 13, 2026
Location sharing on active self-drive trips: what we record, when, how to turn it off, and who can see it.
On self-drive trips, the BookAclassic app shares your trip location with our safety team while the trip is in progress. This exists purely so we can help you if something goes wrong during a trip. It is never used for marketing and is never shown to hosts or other members.
Location sharing during an active trip
When your self-drive trip starts (or when you open the app during an active trip), the app explains the purpose and asks for your phone's location permission. If you allow "Always" access, the app records your approximate position every few minutes for the duration of the trip, even when the app is closed. If you only allow access "while using the app", updates are recorded only while the app is open.
You stay in control: the trip screen shows a visible Turn off option whenever sharing is on. Turning it off stops location sharing for the rest of the trip; the app won't switch it back on.
Saying no is always fine. If you decline the permission, your booking, pre-trip inspection and post-trip inspection work exactly the same; our safety team simply notes that the trip is untracked.
One-time trip-action location stamps
Separately from trip sharing, the app can record a single location stamp at the moment you take a trip action, such as completing the pre-trip inspection at pickup, an optional mid-trip safety check-in, completing the post-trip inspection at return, or answering a wellness check. These are one-time stamps recorded only while you are actively using the app. Without location permission, we may only derive an approximate city-level location from your internet connection.
Occasionally our safety team may send an "Are you OK?" check during an active trip, for example if something about the trip looks unusual. You can answer "Yes, everything's fine" or "I need help", which alerts our team. In a genuine emergency, always call your local emergency services (999 / 911) first.
Trip locations and stamps are visible only to BookAclassic safety and support staff, never to hosts or other members, and are kept with the trip record under our privacy policy retention rules.
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