FAQ

TangoRide is a real-time carpooling app that matches drivers and passengers and performs the tax-free cost recovery transaction between passenger and driver. The app is free for people to download with only a small TangoRide matching fee charged to the passenger for each carpool commute taken.

TangoRide automatically determines a fair level of trip reimbursement from passenger to driver for each commute, so users completely avoid awkward negotiating. TangoRide users enjoy a seamless transaction as the carpool reimbursement is handled within the app for each trip.

Simply put, this means a reduction in running costs for drivers, a reduction in time and travel costs for the passenger and a meaningful reduction in vehicle emissions for the planet. We are passionate about providing an efficient and reliable new commuting mode for workers that is far less expensive than solo driving and far more convenient than public transit.

Provincial carpooling law allows drivers to recover some of the costs of operating their vehicle by sharing one round trip per day with passengers, as long as the driver is not turning a profit. TangoRide’s cost recovery per trip pricing formulas make sure that it is always below the taxable cost recovery threshold. Personal vehicles used for the purposes of carpooling by the drivers are also not required to register as commercial vehicles.

Your regular car insurance policy should cover you for carpooling since Canadian law allows one round-trip carpool trip per day without being considered a Commercial Driver. As carpooling falls under provincial legislation you’ll need to conform to your province’s laws (see the “Is carpooling legal in Canada” question for more information on provincial legislation).

We suggest that all drivers check with their insurance company to ensure that no extra coverage is needed. We also suggest that any rush hours drivers that switch to full-time TangoRide passengers check with their insurance company to see if they can get their insurance rate lowered going forward.

Yes. Carpooling regulations are set out provincially in Canada. At a high level, carpooling in Canada is defined as taking place in a private vehicle, where a driver offers to share their empty seats to passengers going in the same direction, and the passenger pays to help cover part of the cost of the trip. The driver is not paid for providing a service, and does not make a profit from carpooling, but recovers some of their operating costs. Below is a list of provincial legislation:

Provincial Carpooling Legislation

• • Alberta Traffic Safety Act, Transportation Alberta Carrier Services FAQ
  • British Columbia Passenger Transportation Act
  • Saskatchewan Traffic Safety Act – no information available, but Saskatchewan Government Insurance provides guidance on the definition of carpooling.  
  • Manitoba Highway Traffic Act no information available on carpooling 
  • New Brunswick Motor Carrier Act, section 1
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Motor Carrier Regulations, section 2(j) 
  • Northwest Territories Motor Vehicle Act 
  • Nova Scotia Motor Carrier Act, section 2(l) 
  • Ontario: Bill 213, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act has replaced the Public Vehicles Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.54
  • Québec: Chapitre S-6.01 LOI CONCERNANT LES SERVICES DE TRANSPORT PAR TAXI, section 3°

Joining is simple, quick and completely free. Once you’ve downloaded the app, it will take you through the Sign Upprocess. TangoRide is available to anyone 18 or older. If you wish to join as a driver then you will need a valid Provincial or Territory driving licence, vehicle details and your Bank Account details to receive funds. If you want to use TangoRide as a passenger, you can sign up with your personal information such as Name, Gender, Mobile Number, Email Address & Credit/Debit Card. Drivers please note that you can easily switch to being a passenger within the app as well.  

• Drivers and passengers each reduce their solo commuting costs by more than 40% 
• You will reduce your commuting carbon footprint by more than 50%.
• Passengers can reduce travel times and enjoy less commuter stress and feel great about reducing congestion, accidents and pollution.
• Drivers get more disposable income and engaging conversations to and from work.
• Helps to reduce parking problems.
• It’s a great way to make new neighborhood friends and building community.

Any commute to work is appropriate for sharing. The important thing to keep in mind is that carpooling legislation allows for one round trip carpool per day. Currently, TangoRide is focusing on the largest volume of solo driving, which is commuting to work since this is the greatest opportunity to reduce congestion, pollution and accidents for cities.

Offering a carpool is easy using the TangoRide app.

• Instant – Use Instant Ride when you want to leave immediately. TangoRide will begin to search and match a Driver/Passenger commute.
  
• Scheduled – Use Schedule Ride for a carpool trip that’ you want to take at a later time/day and you will be notified when the trip is matched to a Driver’s Offer or Passenger’s request.
  
  
• Routine – Use Routine Ride to save your routine commutes for the week and TangoRide will notify you of potential matches in advance.

  

Your safety is TangoRide’s top priority, and we’ve taken steps to ensure that your personal information is kept safe and secure, and that your TangoRide trips are as equally safe:

• TangoRide passengers are verified through email & mobile number, whereas TangoRide Drivers are verified further through driving license, facial verification matching and a KYC check done by payment partner Stripe. 
• Transaction information is securely handled by Stripe.
• Cashless transactions using Stripe protects you from scams.
• Personal contact information is kept private.
• Driver and vehicle photos provide confirmation to each Passenger. 
• Passenger photo provides confirmation to each Driver. 

For more details on what we’re doing to keep you safe, please visit our Safety Page. 

There are no fees to join TangoRide. The only time a Passenger is charged a fee is when they accept a carpool ride.  The TangoRide App determines the amount of cost recovery transferred from the Passenger to the Driver for each carpool trip so that TangoRide users avoid awkward negotiations.  Since TangoRide carpooling is all about splitting the cost of commutes between carpoolers, the App ensures that the maximum cost recovery per km to a Driver is at or below 62 cents per kilometer, which is the minimum published Government of Canada Automobile Allowance Rate for 2023.  This could be modified annually based on the Government of Canada website Automobile allowance rates – Canada.ca.  Therefore, a carpool Driver is not making a profit, just recovering some of his or her daily commuting costs.    The Total Passenger Trip Payment is comprised of the TangoRide Service Fee, including GST, plus the Driver Reimbursement Cost.  Unlike a taxi business or ride-hailing company that is constantly looking to offer rides, there is no obligation for a TangoRide Driver, who is commuting to and from work, to offer a carpool ride and TangoRide does not guarantee there will be a ride for someone to share.  There are also no surge pricing fees at peak time since TangoRide’s cost recovery formula is solely based on commuting distance.

This pricing model also makes it simple and transparent for all involved.

Passengers will only see the amount they are paying, and drivers will only see the amount they are receiving as reimbursement for the trip cost, which is why there is a difference in the price displayed on the passenger’s app and the driver’s app.

If, for any legitimate reason, a trip is not completed successfully, TangoRide will facilitate a refund. Please contact customer service with the details of why you require a refund, and we will be happy to review your case.

TangoRide is a community-oriented carpooling app and for the benefit of the community, there are no cancellation fees at this stage. TangoRide encourage community members to maintain high standards of ride offers and requests.

TangoRide will monitor the reason and number of cancellations from both passengers and drivers which may mean changes to our cancellation policy in future. This is to ensure the best possible experience for all our users.

Currently, users cannot print off receipts in-app, but upon each completed commute, both the driver and the passenger will receive emails containing the details of the commute.

No problem. You don’t need a car to be a TangoRide passenger. Many of your driving neighbors will be eager to offer rides in exchange for splitting their commuting cost. Plus, you both gain a new neighborhood friend.

Think of carpooling as sharing the same traits as a good friendship, with a side of common sense…

• • Be accountable. Don’t cancel at the last minute and mutually respect each other by being punctual to the agreed upon pick-up location.
  • Use the in-app calling or messaging to let people know if you have run into a problem and will be slightly late.
  • Passengers – please don’t eat or drink in a vehicle until you check that other people, especially the driver, don’t mind and respect the wishes of others.
  • Please refrain from smoking at all times.
  • Remember people have different tastes; some like to listen to the radio and other prefer a quieter commute. Some people like to chat while others prefer to reflect in a peaceful environment. You all need to be comfortable, so please take each other’s preferences into consideration.

Both drivers and passengers can rate each other one to five stars after a trip. Your rating should be based on the overall experience of the trip.

When registering to become a TangoRide driver, the app will accept a valid driving licence from any Canadian province or territory as part of the verification process.

The app does not include any additional tariffs that may apply during the course of a commute. The Canada Revenue Agency rules for mileage do not include charges such as tolls and are designed to solely cover the running costs of the car.

If you are experiencing problems with the TangoRide app, please send an email to our Customer Service department at helpme@tangoride.com.

To ensure your email and cell number are kept private, drivers and passengers should use the in-app Chat function to communicate with each other, if necessary.

No, our cashless carpool transaction system is designed to protect both of you. All carpool transactions for TangoRide trips are executed within the app at the beginning of a shared commute to ensure there is no risk that a driver is not reimbursed properly, and so both driver and passenger know the total cost of the ride before agreeing to it. TangoRide community members should never pay cash to share a ride with a TangoRide driver and tipping is never allowed since this is purely cost recovery for the driver. Also, TangoRide automatically calculates the reimbursement cost for each trip, so driver and passenger avoid the uncomfortable feeling of having to negotiate the ride cost.

If you are under 18 you are regarded as a minor and as such are subject to different laws and regulations, which mean you cannot become a TangoRide member. We look forward to welcoming you to the TangoRide community when you turn 18.

We’d love for you to share our app with your friends and families, and can do so by using the “Refer Us” function from the main menu in the Tangoride app. This is not a formal referral program, and does not provide any additional benefits to users, but provides an easy way to grow your TangoRide troupe and help more people save money by using a sustainable transportation option.

Yes. The App will function with any valid data service.

Yes, you need to enable location services. The App uses current location as default to provide necessary details and availability of any vehicle.

If you’d like to let us know how much you enjoy using the TangoRide app, or if you have suggestions as to how we can improve it, we’d love to hear from you. Please provide your feedback by sending an email to helpme@tangoride.com, with the subject line: Feedback on TangoRide App.

Our Terms of Agreement can be found on our website at: https://tangoride.com/terms-of-service/.

Our Privacy Policy can be found on our website at: https://tangoride.com/privacy/.