1. Who we are

The Bark Bus is a dog-adventure service preparing to launch across Coventry, Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and selected surrounding areas. For data-protection questions, contact us at enquiries@barkbus.co.uk or call 075 116 114 77.

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you use our website or services, we may collect:

Your name, email address, telephone number and collection address.
Property-access information needed to plan a safe collection.
Emergency-contact and veterinary-practice details.
Information about your dog, including breed, age, temperament, travel, behaviour, medication, allergies and dietary needs.
Eligibility confirmations covering vaccinations, microchipping, neutering and flea and worming treatment.
Your postcode and interest-list, waiting-list, trial-session and newsletter preferences.
Customer-account information, including your verified email address, account identifier and sign-in activity. We never receive or store your password.
Booking and wallet records, including amounts added, trip charges, refunds, balances, the account-holder name entered for a first payment, the payer name and limited account details supplied by Monzo, bank-transfer references and payment transaction identifiers. We do not receive or store your online-banking login details.
Messages, enquiries and other correspondence you send us.
Volunteer-application information, including your availability, interests, experience with dogs, motivation and any support or accessibility needs you choose to share.

If you provide another person's details as an emergency contact, please make sure they know you have shared their information with us.

3. How we use the information

We use information to:

Record initial expressions of interest, review enrolment applications and manage the launch waiting list.
Contact you about availability and arrange a free trial after enrolment.
Assess whether an adventure is safe, happy and comfortable for your dog and the wider group.
Plan collections, agreed collection points and safe transport.
Protect dogs in our care and respond appropriately if an emergency occurs.
Answer enquiries, maintain accurate records and meet legal obligations.
Create and secure your customer account, link it to your enrolment and record changes you make.
Take secure payments, maintain your Bark Bus Wallet, confirm bookings, issue wallet refunds and keep financial records.
Send Bark Bus launch news, free-trial updates and information about our own similar services where permitted.
Review volunteer applications, contact suitable applicants and arrange safe, supervised volunteer opportunities.

4. Our reasons for using it

We use information where it is needed to take steps you request before a service agreement, to operate and protect our service and the dogs in our care, to meet legal obligations, and where you have given consent. For email marketing, we use consent or the applicable electronic-marketing rules, including the products-and-services soft opt-in where its conditions are met. You can unsubscribe at any time.

5. How our interest and enrolment forms work

When you register your interest, we save your name, email address and postcode so we can tell you about our launch, local availability and invite you to complete enrolment. We pass your name and email address to our newsletter provider for these messages. Registering interest is not a full enrolment and does not guarantee a place.

When you submit the enrolment form, the website securely saves the application, gives it a reference number and places it on our waiting list for review. We use an email delivery provider to send a confirmation to you and notify The Bark Bus that a new application has arrived. If you do not opt out of newsletter updates, we also pass your name and email address to our newsletter provider so those updates can be sent.

6. Volunteer applications

When you apply to volunteer, we securely save your contact details and answers so we can assess your suitability and contact you about relevant opportunities. We may discuss references, training, induction or checks where these are appropriate to a particular role. A volunteer application does not guarantee a place.

7. Who we may share information with

We do not sell personal information. We may share only what is necessary with website, customer-authentication, payment, email and newsletter service providers; veterinary practices, emergency services or insurers where safety requires it; professional advisers; and public authorities where required by law. These providers may process information in the UK or elsewhere using appropriate safeguards.

8. Customer accounts and security

Customer sign-in is provided by Supabase. Supabase securely handles your password, email verification, password-reset links and login session. The Bark Bus receives a verified account identifier and email address so the correct enrolment can be shown. Changes made through your account are logged to help us maintain accurate safety and care information.

Fee-free wallet top-ups are made by bank transfer to The Bark Bus. Our bank, Monzo, gives the website read access to incoming transactions so it can match your payment. For the first payment, authorised Bark Bus staff may link the sending account to your customer account. We store a one-way protected fingerprint of the sending account, the payer name and only the final four account digits where Monzo supplies them, together with the amount, reference, Monzo transaction identifier, matching result and resulting wallet balance. We do not store the full sending account number, receive your online-banking login details or obtain access to your bank account. Later payments from the recognised sending account can be credited automatically.

9. How long we keep information

Active waiting-list information is kept while your application remains current.
Withdrawn or unsuccessful applications are normally deleted within 12 months of our last contact.
Customer, safety and financial records may be kept for up to six years after the service relationship ends where needed for legal, insurance or accounting purposes.
Newsletter details are kept until you unsubscribe or we stop sending the newsletter.
Volunteer applications that do not progress are normally deleted within 12 months of our last contact. Records for active volunteers are kept while the relationship continues and for a suitable period afterwards where needed for safety, insurance or legal reasons.

We review information and delete or anonymise it when it is no longer needed.

10. Your choices and rights

You may ask for access to your personal information, correction, deletion, restriction, portability or objection where the law provides these rights. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting earlier use of your information. Contact us using the details above. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.

11. Website technologies and changes

We do not currently use optional advertising or analytics cookies on this website. Our hosting provider may use technologies that are necessary to deliver and protect the site. We will update this notice before introducing new uses of personal information or optional tracking technologies.

Privacy Notice