Rules

⭐ Ride Posting Rules

These rules describe how riders create posts, how posts behave, and how the system treats them.

🟦 1. Riders can post any ride request. Riders may post:

local rides
long‑distance rides
domestic rides
international rides
realistic rides
last‑minute or scheduled rides.

🟦 2. Posting is always free. There is no fee for riders to create a post.

🟦 3. Posts appear in newest‑first order. The board always shows:

newest posts at the top
older posts below.

🟦 4. Search filters posts but does NOT change order. If a rider searches for “airport,” the board:

filters posts containing “airport”
still shows them newest‑first.

🟦 5. Posts expire automatically Expiration depends on the type of ride:

Urgent rides (“now”, “today”, “tonight”) → expire in 24 hours
Scheduled rides → expire on the ride date
Accepted rides → expire immediately after rider confirms

Expired posts:

disappear from the board
cannot trigger SMS
cannot be accepted
Scheduled expiration

🟦 6. Drivers may accept any visible ride. A driver can accept:

any ride on the board, even if they didn’t receive an SMS,
even if it’s international,
even if it’s old (not expired).

After acceptance:

rider must confirm
post expires immediately.

⭐ Driver Acceptance Rules

🟦 1. Drivers may accept ANY ride visible on the board. A driver can accept:

domestic rides
international rides
long‑distance rides
short‑distance rides
rides they did not receive an SMS for
rides posted hours or days ago (as long as not expired). There is no restriction on what a driver can accept.

🟦 2. Acceptance does NOT confirm the ride — the rider must confirm. Acceptance is a two‑step handshake:

Driver accepts
Rider confirms
Only after rider confirmation does the ride become official.

This protects riders from:

accidental accepts
spam accepts
multiple drivers accepting at once
drivers who accept but don’t follow through

🟦 3. Once the rider confirms, the post expires immediately. The moment the rider clicks Confirm Driver:

the post disappears from the board
no other driver can accept
no SMS alerts will fire
the ride becomes locked to that driver
This prevents double‑booking.

⭐ Cancellation / Backout Rules

🟦 1. Backout only matters after confirmation

A cancellation is only considered a backout when:

the driver accepted
the rider confirmed
the ride became official
If either side backs out before confirmation, it is treated as a normal cancellation.

🟦 DRIVER BACKOUT RULES

🟦 2. Driver backout = breaking a commitment

Once a rider confirms a driver, the driver is committed.

If the driver backs out:

the rider is stranded
the board becomes unstable
trust is damaged

🟦4. Early vs. Late driver backout

Early backout (24+ hours before pickup)

Why? The rider still has time to find another driver.

Early backout

Late backout (within 2 hours of pickup)
Why?
This is the worst‑case scenario for riders.

RIDER BACKOUT RULES

🟦 5. Rider backout = breaking a driver’s commitment

Once a driver accepts and the rider confirms, the driver:

commits time
may start driving
loses other opportunities
If the rider backs out, the driver suffers real loss.

🟦 7. Early vs. Late rider backout

Early backout (24+ hours before pickup)
Late backout (within 2 hours of pickup)

🟦 8. Backout vs. Cancellation vs. No‑Show

Cancellation (before confirmation)
No commitment broken
Normal behavior
Backout (after confirmation)
Commitment broken
No‑show
Auto‑repost

⭐ Messaging Rules

🟦 1. Drivers receive SMS alerts. Riders do NOT.

Riders must check messages inside the website only.

🟦 2. All rider notifications happen inside the website

When a driver responds:

the rider sees the message in their inbox.
no text message is sent.
no push notification is sent.
no email is sent.

🟦 3. Drivers can message riders only after accepting the ride

Flow:

Rider posts a ride. Driver sees it.
Driver accepts.
Driver can now send a message.
Rider sees the message inside the site.
Drivers cannot message riders before acceptance.

🟦 4. Riders can message drivers only after confirming the driver

Flow:

Driver accepts. Rider confirms.
Rider can now message the driver.
Driver receives messages inside the site (not SMS).
Riders cannot message drivers before confirmation.

🟦 5. Messages do NOT trigger SMS for riders

Even if:

10 drivers respond. 1 driver responds.
a driver sends multiple messages.
Riders still receive zero SMS.
All communication stays inside the platform.

🟦 6. Drivers receive SMS only once per post

When a rider posts:

driver gets one SMS. never multiple.
never repeated.
never “new message” SMS.
never “driver responded” SMS.

🟦 7. Messaging is NOT matching or dispatching

The system:

does NOT match riders to drivers. does NOT assign drivers.
does NOT push drivers to riders.
does NOT notify riders of responses via SMS.

It is strictly:

rider posts. drivers respond.
rider chooses.

🟦 8. Message Queue Rules

When you introduce the weighted message queue:

riders see the top 10 driver responses they can click See next 10
still no SMS to riders
drivers still get only one SMS per post.

🟦 9. No‑Show Messaging Behavior

If a driver no‑shows:

rider marks “Driver didn’t arrive” system auto‑reposts the ride
rider can message new drivers
no SMS is sent to rider
No‑show rules.

⭐ Picup Detail Privacy

🟦 1. Pickup details are NEVER shown publicly

When a rider posts a ride, the public (logged‑out visitors) can only see:

Title Short description.
Sub‑industry.
Rider screen name.

The public cannot see:

pickup location. destination.
date/time.
personal details.
message button.
This prevents strangers from showing up at the pickup location.

🟦 2. Logged‑in users still cannot see pickup details

Even logged‑in riders and drivers cannot see pickup details unless they are directly involved.

Logged‑in users only see:

pickup area (general region, not exact address)
destination area
ride date (no time until confirmed)
full description
Pickup details remain hidden.

🟦 3. Only ONE driver ever sees the pickup details

Pickup details are released only after two steps:

Rider chooses a driver
Driver confirms the ride

Only then:

the driver sees the exact pickup details
the private message thread opens
the ride becomes official.

This prevents:

impersonation harassment
multiple drivers showing up
unsafe situations
confusion at pickup points
Pickup release rule

🟦 4. Rejected drivers NEVER see pickup details

If a driver:

views the post accepts the ride
but the rider chooses someone else

That driver never sees:

pickup address pickup time
destination details
rider contact info
This protects riders from unwanted contact.

🟦 5. Pickup details are hidden until commitment is mutual

Pickup details are released only when:

the rider commits to the driver
the driver commits to the rider

This mutual confirmation is required to unlock:

exact pickup location exact pickup time
private messaging
This is your “two‑step handshake.”

🟦 6. Pickup details are suppressed during quiet hours

Even after confirmation:

if the driver is in quiet hours or on vacation
or on days off

🟦 7. Pickup details disappear if the driver backs out

If the driver cancels:

pickup details are immediately hidden the ride is auto‑reposted
new drivers cannot see pickup details
only the next confirmed driver will see them

🟦 8. Pickup details are never stored in SMS

SMS alerts to drivers include:

ride title general area
link to the post

SMS never includes:

pickup address pickup time
rider contact info

⭐ Quiet Hours

🟦 1. Quiet Hours = No alerts generated, no alerts held, no alerts sent

During quiet hours:

no SMS alerts are generated no SMS alerts are held
no SMS alerts are sent
no backlog is created
no morning flood occurs

When quiet hours end:

nothing is delivered retroactively the driver simply sees new rides on the board
only current rides can trigger SMS
This is the exact rule you approved earlier.

🟦 2. Quiet Hours protect drivers from late‑night disturbances

Drivers often:

sleep early work early shifts
live in remote areas
have limited cell service
cannot receive late‑night texts

Quiet Hours ensure:

no 2 AM alerts.
no 5 AM alerts.
no midnight spam.
no “alert floods” when waking up.

🟦 3. Quiet Hours prevent morning floods

🟦 4. Quiet Hours apply only to drivers Riders never receive SMS alerts, so quiet hours do not affect them. Riders:

post rides anytime receive responses inside the website
never receive SMS
never receive push notifications
Quiet Hours are driver‑only.

🟦 5. Quiet Hours suppress alert generation

Quiet Hours do not pause alerts. They prevent alerts from being created.

If a ride is posted at 2 AM:

if driver is in quiet hours → alert is not generated
alert is not queued
alert is not stored
alert is not delivered later.

🟦 6. Quiet Hours work alongside Days Off and Vacation Mode

All three modes behave the same:

✔ Quiet Hours
No alerts generated
No alerts held
No alerts sent
✔ Days Off
No alerts generated
No alerts held
No alerts sent
✔ Vacation Mode
No alerts generated
No alerts held
No alerts sent

🟦 7. Quiet Hours do NOT affect the message inbox

Even during quiet hours:

drivers can still log in drivers can still read messages
drivers can still respond
riders can still message drivers
Quiet Hours only affect SMS alerts, not messaging.

🟦 8. Quiet Hours do NOT affect ride visibility

Drivers can still:

browse the board accept rides
message riders
confirm rides
Quiet Hours only suppress SMS alerts.

⭐ Blocking Rules (Full Explanation)

🟦 1. Blocking is system‑wide, not per‑ride

When a rider blocks a driver — or a driver blocks a rider — the block applies to:

all future rides all future posts
all future messages
all future interactions
It is not limited to the current ride.

🟦 2. Blocking immediately removes messaging access

Once blocked:

the blocked user cannot message cannot respond
cannot accept rides from that person
cannot see that person’s profile
cannot interact in any way.

🟦 3. Blocking hides posts from the blocked user

If a rider blocks a driver:

the driver cannot see the rider’s posts the driver cannot accept the rider’s rides
the driver cannot respond to the rider
the driver cannot see the rider in search

If a driver blocks a rider:

the rider cannot see the driver’s offers the rider cannot message the driver
the rider cannot confirm that driver
This prevents unwanted contact.

🟦 4. Blocking does NOT notify the other user

The blocked user receives:

no alert no message
no warning
no indication

To them, it simply looks like:

the other person is inactive the other person is not responding
the other person’s posts are not visible
the other person’s messages never arrive
This protects privacy and avoids conflict.

🟦 5. Blocking does NOT affect SMS alerts

Drivers still receive SMS alerts for:

new domestic ride posts general board activity
Blocking does not change SMS behavior.
Why?
Because SMS alerts are triggered by ride posts, not by user relationships.

🟦 6. Blocking does NOT affect Quiet Hours, Days Off, or Vacation Mode

All driver modes behave normally:

Quiet Hours Days Off
Vacation Mode
Blocking does not override or modify these modes.

🟦 7. Blocking does NOT affect penalties

Blocking is not a penalty. It does not:
reduce reliability score
increase penalty level
affect account standing
trigger warnings
It is simply a privacy and safety feature.

🟦 8. Blocking is reversible

Users can unblock at any time. Once unblocked:
posts reappear
messaging reopens
acceptance becomes possible again
The system restores full functionality instantly.

🟦 9. Blocking prevents impersonation at pickup,

Because pickup details are only shown to the confirmed driver, blocking ensures:

blocked drivers never see pickup details.
blocked riders never see driver details.
No blocked user can impersonate the other at pickup.
This is part of your Pickup Detail Privacy system.

RULES 2

2. Driver Availability Modes

Quiet Hours are included, but two other modes are missing: Days Off

⭐ Driver Modes Behavior

🟦 1. All three modes share one core rule

During Quiet Hours, Days Off, or Vacation Mode: no SMS alerts are generated
no SMS alerts are held
no SMS alerts are sent
no backlog is created
no morning flood occurs
This is the universal behavior across all modes.
SMS suppression

⭐ 2. Quiet Hours

Quiet Hours protect drivers from late‑night disturbances.
✔ Behavior
No SMS alerts
No queued alerts
No retroactive alerts
Driver can still browse
Driver can still accept rides
Driver can still message
Pickup details suppressed until Quiet Hours end
✔ Purpose
Prevent 2 AM alerts
Prevent morning floods
Protect sleep and safety
Quiet Hours

⭐ 3. Days Off

Days Off protect drivers during personal downtime.
✔ Behavior
No SMS alerts
No queued alerts
No retroactive alerts
Driver can browse
Driver can accept rides
Driver can message
Pickup details suppressed until driver is active
✔ Purpose
Allow drivers to take a break
Prevent unwanted alerts during rest days
Keep the system predictable
Days Off

⭐ 4. Vacation Mode

Vacation Mode is the strictest driver availability setting.
✔ Behavior
No SMS alerts
No queued alerts
No retroactive alerts
Driver cannot accept rides
Driver cannot be chosen
Driver hidden from search
Driver hidden from message queue
Pickup details suppressed
Messaging disabled
✔ Purpose
Long‑term unavailability
Prevent riders from choosing an inactive driver
Prevent accidental commitments
Vacation Mode

⭐ 5. Mode Comparison Table

Mode	SMS Alerts	Can Accept Rides	Visible to Riders	Messaging	Pickup Details
Quiet Hours	❌ No	✔ Yes	✔ Yes	✔ Yes	❌ Suppressed
Days Off	❌ No	✔ Yes	✔ Yes	✔ Yes	❌ Suppressed
Vacation Mode	❌ No	❌ No	❌ Hidden	❌ Disabled	❌ Suppressed

🟦 8. Driver Profile Rules

Not included:

screen name photo rules
vehicle info
license plate privacy
rating visibility

⭐ Driver Profile Rules (Full Explanation)

🟦 1. Driver profile is system‑wide

⭐ 2. Driver screen name is public

Drivers choose a screen name, not their real name.

Rules:

must be unique must not impersonate others
must not contain phone numbers
must not contain email addresses
must not contain profanity

Screen name is visible:

on ride posts in message threads
in search results
Real names are never shown.

⭐ 7. Driver profile does NOT include contact info

Drivers never share:

phone number email
social media
home address
workplace
personal details

Messaging rules

⭐ 8. Driver profile is hidden during inactive modes

If a driver is in:

Quiet Hours Days Off
Vacation Mode

Then:

driver profile is partially hidden
driver cannot be chosen (Vacation Mode)
driver cannot receive SMS
pickup details remain suppressed

Driver modes

⭐ 9. Driver profile is hidden from blocked riders

If a rider blocks a driver:

driver’s profile disappears
driver cannot accept rider’s rides
driver cannot message rider
driver cannot see rider’s posts
If a driver blocks a rider:
rider cannot see driver’s profile
rider cannot confirm that driver

🟦 12. Driver Earnings Rules

🟦 1. Drivers set their own prices

RideFinder LLC is a bulletin board, not a TNC.

Therefore:

drivers set their own rates
drivers negotiate directly with riders
RideFinder does not set prices
RideFinder does not suggest prices
RideFinder does not calculate fares
Driver‑set pricing

2. Drivers keep 100% of what riders pay

riders pay drivers directly
drivers keep the full amount
RideFinder does not take a cut of ride fares
RideFinder does not process the payments from ride fares
RideFinder does not hold funds.

4. Drivers may charge any structure they want

Drivers can use:

flat rates per‑mile rates
per‑hour rates
zone‑based pricing
airport‑specific pricing
long‑distance pricing
premium vehicle pricing
group pricing
luggage fees
wait‑time fees
RideFinder does not regulate pricing.

5. Drivers negotiate inside the message thread

All negotiation happens before confirmation, inside the private message thread.
Why?
pickup details are unlocked
destination details are unlocked
driver can calculate distance
rider can explain needs
both sides can negotiate safely
RideFinder does not participate in negotiation.

6. Drivers may decline a ride after negotiation

If negotiation fails:

driver may decline
rider may decline
no penalty applies if done before confirmation
This keeps the system fair.

7. Drivers may earn tips

Tips are allowed because:

they are voluntary
they are negotiated privately
they are not platform‑controlled
they do not affect legal classification
RideFinder does not track tips.

8. Drivers may earn repeat business

If a rider likes a driver:

they may request them again
they may negotiate future rides
they may build long‑term relationships.