HG Cabs operates the website https://hgcabs.com.au and provides taxi and airport transfer services in Croydon, Victoria, and the greater Melbourne area. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.
We are committed to handling your personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If you are visiting from outside Australia for example, the EU/UK or California we’ve also included information relevant to the GDPR and CCPA/CPRA below.
By using our website or booking a ride with us, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information in a few different ways, depending on how you interact with us.
Information you give us directly:
- Booking details your name, phone number, pickup and drop-off locations, and pickup/drop-off dates when you make a booking through our online form, by phone, or in person.
- Contact form submissions your name, email address, phone number, and message content when you contact us.
- Newsletter sign-up your email address if you subscribe to updates.
- Blog comments (if enabled) your name, email address, and any content you submit in a comment, along with your IP address and browser user agent string, which helps us detect spam.
Information collected automatically:
- Usage data pages visited, time spent on the site, referring pages, browser type, device type, and general location (based on IP address).
- Cookies and similar technologies see Section on Cookies below.
Information from third parties:
- If you comment on our site, a hashed (anonymized) version of your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service to check whether you have a Gravatar profile picture. If you do, it may be displayed publicly alongside your comment.
- We do not knowingly collect sensitive information (such as health data, financial account details, or government ID numbers) through our website. Please avoid including this kind of information in booking notes, comments, or messages to us.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Process and confirm your taxi or airport transfer bookings
- Contact you about your booking (e.g., confirmations, driver arrival, changes, or delays)
- Respond to enquiries submitted through our contact form
- Send you newsletters or promotional offers, but only if you’ve opted in we will never spam you, and you can unsubscribe at any time
- Improve our website, services, and customer experience
- Detect and prevent spam, fraud, or misuse of our booking and comment systems
- Meet our legal, tax, and regulatory obligations as a transport operator in Victoria
- Analyze website traffic and usage trends (in aggregate, non-identifying form where possible)
We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.
3. Cookies
If you leave a comment on our site, you can opt in to save your name, email, and website in a cookie for your convenience next time these last for one year.
If you visit our login area (for site administrators), we set a temporary cookie to check whether your browser accepts cookies. It contains no personal data and is deleted when you close your browser. Additional cookies are set upon login to remember your session and display preferences; these last for up to two days (or two weeks if “Remember Me” is selected), and are removed when you log out.
We also use standard analytics and functionality cookies to understand how visitors use our site and to keep the booking form working smoothly. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings, though some parts of the site (like the booking form) may not work as well if cookies are disabled.
4. How We Share Your Information
We don’t sell your personal information. We may share it in the following limited circumstances:
- Service providers trusted third parties who help us run our business, such as our website hosting provider, email/newsletter platform, spam-detection services, and payment processors (if applicable to your booking). These providers only access what they need to perform their function and are required to protect your information.
- Gravatar as described above, if you leave a blog comment.
- Password resets if you request a password reset (for site accounts, where applicable), your IP address is included in the reset email for security purposes.
- Legal requirements if required by law, regulation, court order, or to protect the safety of our drivers, passengers, or the public.
- Business transfers if HG Cabs is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the same privacy protections.
Embedded content: If our blog includes embedded content from other websites (e.g., videos or maps), that content behaves as if you visited the other website directly. Those third parties may collect data about you, use their own cookies, and track your interaction with the embedded content.
5. Data Security and Retention
We take reasonable technical and organizational steps to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
How long we keep your data:
- Booking records are retained for as long as necessary to fulfil the booking and to meet our accounting, tax, and legal record-keeping obligations (typically up to 7 years, in line with Australian tax law).
- Blog comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely, so we can recognize and approve genuine follow-up comments rather than holding them for moderation each time.
- Newsletter subscriber data is kept until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
- Contact form enquiries are retained only as long as needed to respond to and resolve your enquiry, unless a longer period is required for legal reasons.
6. Your Rights
Depending on where you’re located, you may have some or all of the following rights over your personal information:
- Access request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Correction ask us to correct inaccurate or outdated information
- Deletion request that we erase your personal information, except where we’re legally required to keep it (e.g., tax records)
- Opt-out unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time via the link in each email, or by contacting us directly
- Complaint lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au if you believe we’ve mishandled your information
If you’re in the EU/UK (GDPR): you additionally have the right to data portability and to object to certain processing, and can lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
If you’re a California resident (CCPA/CPRA): you have the right to know what personal information we collect, request its deletion, and opt out of its “sale” or “sharing” (we do not sell personal information).
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 8 below. We’ll respond within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 30 days.
7. Children’s Privacy
Our website and services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.
8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. We’ll update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page when changes are made. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.
9. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:
HG Cabs 📍 Croydon, VIC 3136 📧 admin@hgcabs.com.au 📞 0430 028 033
This Privacy Policy is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. We recommend having it reviewed by a qualified Australian privacy lawyer to ensure it fully reflects your specific business operations and any regulatory changes.