Privacy & Cookie Policy
Last updated: 10th October 2025
This Privacy & Cookie Policy outlines how Rated Driving Instructors Ltd (“Rated Driving”, “we”, “our”, “us”) collects, uses, stores and shares your personal data. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your information in an open and transparent manner.
1. Who We Are
Rated Driving Instructors Ltd
The Carriage House, Mill Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6YE, United Kingdom
support@rateddriving.com
https://www.rateddriving.com
We are the data controller responsible for your personal data and are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK.
2. What Personal Data We Collect
We collect the following types of data:
Identity data: name, title, date of birth, gender
Contact data: address, email, phone number
Driving details: licence status, theory pass number, availability, course preferences
Payment data: Stripe or Ryft Pay transaction ID, billing information (handled securely)
Technical data: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, cookies, and usage logs
Marketing and communications data: preferences, responses, and opt-ins
Communications: emails, calls, contact forms, and chats
Location data (mobile app users only): precise and approximate location data used for matching and navigation (see “Reason for Location Access” below)
3. How We Collect Your Data
We collect personal data when you:
Fill out a booking, contact, or feedback form
Register an account or book a course
Communicate with us via phone, email, WhatsApp, or social media
Interact with our website or app (including via cookies, analytics, and permissions)
4. Legal Bases for Processing
We only process your data when there’s a valid legal basis under UK GDPR:
Contract – to process your course booking or enquiry
Legitimate interest – to improve service, prevent fraud, maintain security, and market to customers
Consent – for optional communications, marketing, and cookie tracking
Legal obligation – to comply with financial or regulatory requirements
5. How We Use Your Data
We may process your personal data to:
Manage and deliver your driving course booking
Provide customer support and respond to enquiries
Send administrative updates and service notifications
Process payments securely via Stripe or Ryft Pay
Monitor and improve website and app performance
Deliver direct marketing, offers, and retargeting ads (with your consent)
Maintain internal records and comply with legal requirements
6. Payment Security
We use Stripe and Ryft Pay to process payments. We do not store or access your full payment card details directly.
All payment transactions are encrypted via SSL and processed in line with PCI-DSS standards.
Card data is collected via secure hosted fields and shared only with the respective payment provider.
Privacy policies of our payment partners:
7. Data Sharing and Third Parties
We only share your personal data with:
Independent driving instructors – to fulfil your booking
Payment processors – Stripe and Ryft Pay
Technical and service providers – hosting, IT support, analytics, communications tools (e.g. Google, Meta, CookieYes)
Legal or government authorities – if required by law
We never sell your data.
8. International Transfers
We may transfer data outside the UK or EEA when using third-party services.
To ensure adequate protection, we rely on:
Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
Data Processing Agreements
UK GDPR-compliant safeguards
9. Cookie Policy
We use cookies and similar technologies to:
Make our site function correctly (essential cookies)
Measure traffic and performance (analytics cookies)
Personalise ads and marketing (marketing cookies)
Cookie usage is managed through CookieYes, our consent management tool.
On your first visit, a cookie banner allows you to accept or reject non-essential cookies.
For full cookie details, visit our CookieYes Declaration to view each cookie used, its purpose, and retention duration.
10. Your Rights
Under data protection laws, you have the right to:
Access the data we hold about you
Request correction or deletion
Restrict or object to certain processing
Withdraw consent at any time
Request data portability (where applicable)
Lodge a complaint with the ICO
To exercise your rights, email support@rateddriving.com.
We aim to respond within one calendar month.
11. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary:
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Customer records | Up to 6 years after your last transaction |
| Payment records | 7 years (for HMRC compliance) |
| Email/chat communications | 24 months |
| Cookie data | As defined in our Cookie Policy or until consent is withdrawn |
12. Children’s Data
Our services are not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect data from them.
13. Data Security
We implement strong technical and organisational measures including:
SSL encryption for all data in transit
Firewalls and malware protection
Access controls for data processing systems
Regular security reviews and staff training
14. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling
We do not engage in automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal effects concerning you or significantly affects you.
15. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy & Cookie Policy from time to time.
If material changes occur, we’ll notify you via email or through our website.
Last reviewed: 10th October 2025
Reason for Location Access (Mobile App Users)
Our mobile app requests location permissions to enable essential features:
1. Instant Instructor Matching
We use your real-time location to instantly match you with nearby driving instructors, ensuring faster and more accurate pairing based on proximity.
2. Test Route Navigation Service
Learners can purchase a driving test route and use in-app navigation to practise along that route.
This requires continuous access to your location — including background access – for features such as:
Turn-by-turn navigation
Route progress tracking
Accurate route replay and completion history
We do not use location data for unrelated marketing or analytics purposes.
Location data is processed securely and only retained for the duration of your active navigation session or for necessary troubleshooting.
You may revoke location permissions at any time via your device settings; however, certain app functions (e.g. route navigation or instructor matching) will no longer operate correctly.
