Privacy notice

What we hold, why we hold it, who else touches it, and what you can make us do about it. Written for the instructor app and web portal as they are today.

Version 1.0 · in effect from 10 August 2026 · covers the FirstDrive instructor app and web portal.

Draft. Some details shown as […] are not yet filled in, and this document has not been reviewed by a solicitor. Do not rely on it until both are done.

Who is responsible

FirstDrive is operated by […], a company registered in England and Wales (company number […]), registered office […]. You can reach us at support@firstdriveuk.co.uk.

For your own account we are the data controller. For the records you keep about your pupils, you are the controller and we act on your instructions as your processor — see “Your pupils' records” below, because the distinction changes who has to answer a pupil who asks a question.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under number […].

What we hold about you

• Your account. Email address, mobile number, the name you display, and a password we only ever store hashed. Optionally an avatar and a short bio.
• Your business. Working hours, breaks and holidays; expenses and mileage you log; your ADI number, vehicle details and hourly rate; any renewal reminders you set.
• Your subscription. Whether you have one and when it renews. Stripe handles the payment and holds the card details — we never see or store a card number.
• Messages. Messages between you and a pupil inside FirstDrive, so both of you can read them.
• Technical records. Ordinary server and error logs, which include an IP address, kept so we can keep the service running and secure.

We don't use advertising trackers, we don't sell anything to anyone, and we don't profile you or make automated decisions about you.

Your pupils' records

When you add a pupil you decide what to record — typically their name and contact details, where you collect them, their lesson times, your notes and their progress against the syllabus. That is your record of your business. We hold it for you and act on your instructions; we do not use it for our own purposes, and we do not share it with other instructors.

A pupil who has their own FirstDrive account sees their own lessons and progress, because that is the point of them having one.

If a pupil asks you what you hold about them, that question is yours to answer — we'll help you get the data out if you need it.

One thing worth knowing: when you invite a pupil by text, FirstDrive opens your own messaging app with the message ready to send. The text comes from your phone and your number. We store the invited phone number so that we can match it to the learner when they sign up.

Why we're allowed to hold it

• To provide what you signed up for. Running your account and the service is performance of our contract with you.
• Our legitimate interests. Keeping the service secure, fixing faults, and preventing abuse — balanced against your interests, which is why the logs are ordinary and short-lived.
• Legal obligations. Tax and accounting records for payments you make to us.
• Consent, where we ask for it — for example optional notifications. You can withdraw it at any time.

Who else touches it

A short list, and each one is bound by a contract that limits them to acting on our instructions:

• Supabase — the database, sign-in and file storage behind FirstDrive.
• Vercel — hosting for the website and the web portal.
• Stripe — the £8 a month subscription, and nothing else. Stripe is not involved in your lesson money, because FirstDrive does not handle your lesson money.
• Apple and Google, if you install the mobile app, to the extent their app stores are involved.

We may also disclose information where the law requires it, or to establish or defend a legal claim. If the business is ever sold, your information would transfer with it and we would tell you first.

Where it lives

Our primary database is hosted in the European Union (Ireland). Where a supplier processes data outside the UK, that transfer is covered by the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, or by an adequacy decision.

How long we keep it

• While your account is open, we keep what you have entered — a diary is not much use if it forgets last year.
• When you delete your account, we remove your data from the live system. Backups roll off within 30 days.
• Records of payments you made to us are kept for six years, because tax law requires it.
• Technical logs are kept for up to 90 days.

What you can make us do

Under UK data protection law you can ask for a copy of what we hold, ask us to correct it, ask us to delete it, ask us to restrict or stop a particular use, and ask for it in a portable format. Email support@firstdriveuk.co.uk and we'll reply within one month. It costs nothing.

Some of it you can do yourself and faster: export to CSV from the app, edit anything you have entered, and delete your account from settings.

If you think we have got this wrong, please tell us first — but you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113 at any time.

Cookies

This site sets no analytics or advertising cookies. The app sets what it needs to keep you signed in, which is why there is no cookie banner to dismiss.

Changes

This notice is versioned rather than quietly edited. If we change how we use your information we'll publish a new version with a new effective date, and tell you by email where the change matters.

The marketplace, when it launches, will involve introducing pupils to instructors and handling a payment between them. That is a genuinely different use of personal data, and it will come with its own notice that you will see before you use it — this version neither describes it nor permits it.