Privacy Policy

Georgia Commute Options recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy of users of this website and securing the personal information provided by those users. This policy details the measures taken to ensure a secure environment.

Georgia Commute Options Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting the Georgia Commute Options website. This Privacy Policy describes our practices related to the use, storage and disclosure of information we collect from or about you in the course of providing services for Georgia Commute Options and through the following Site: GaCommuteOptions.com or any sites subsequently operated by Georgia Commute Options.

Georgia Commute Options is the operator of this Site, although software, hosting and other functions may be provided by third parties (“Service Providers”).

Georgia Commute Options reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time and without prior notice. This Privacy Policy is not a contract and does not create any legal rights or obligations. Your continued use of the Site after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new terms. If you do not agree to abide by the new terms or any future terms, please do not use the Site. If you have further questions or comments, contact us using GaCommuteOptions.com/Contact.

How Information is Collected and Used
By Browsing Our Site
Georgia Commute Options collects information about users by voluntary submission. No registration is required to enter or browse the Georgia Commute Options Site. This Site does not collect personally identifiable information from your computer when you browse the Site and request pages from our servers. Unless you voluntarily provide us with personal information, we will not know your name, e-mail address or any other personally identifiable information.

We may use local single-session cookies to track session data and maintain aggregated website data. Cookies are small text files that your browser stores on your hard drive to facilitate use of a website. Cookies collect information about the pages you view and your activities on the Site. Cookies enable the Site to recognize you, for example by remembering your user ID, offering an online shopping cart, and keeping track of your preferences if you visit the website again. The cookie transmits this information back to the website’s computer (or server), which generally is the only computer that can read it. Local single-session cookies are temporary and are automatically deleted once you close your Internet browser.

Local [single-session] cookies enable us to keep track of preferences and popular areas of the website. The session data that we track is anonymous. We collect this information in the aggregate to analyze site usage, page hits and number of visitors to a particular area or location of the Site. This information enables us to improve and update the Site based on such data as pages viewed and total number of visitors.

Cookies are used by most major commercial websites and do not damage your computer, computer files or programs. If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, you can set your Internet browser to block cookies. Please refer to your browser options or other browser instructional material to learn more about cookie management. Please note that cookies may be necessary to use certain features of this site.

We use IP addresses to analyze trends, administer the Site, track user movement, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information. We may provide this statistical information to third parties, including social media, but when we do so we do not provide personally identifiable information.

The Site does not covertly capture information regarding specific activities or any particular user. We do not use cookies, web bugs, or any other active content mechanism to capture or maintain information about users without their prior consent. The only personal information that we capture is what has been specifically submitted to us through the Site. We do not store any persistent information on your computer, with the possible exception of presenting you the option for your web browser to “remember” (i.e. store) your login credentials for the next time you return to that website. If you are presented with such an option, it is entirely voluntary on your part to allow for such information to be stored. You are solely responsible for any risk of loss or theft of the device and any security risk that may result from such theft or loss.

By Registering With Our Site
To sign up to receive Smog Alert e-mails or newsletters for commuters or employers, you must first complete the registration form. This requires that you provide contact information (such as your name and e-mail address) that will be used only to contact you regarding services on our Site for which you have expressed interest.

In deciding whether or not to join our subscription lists, please note that these lists are only used for internal purposes; we do not sell or rent our lists to anyone. In the event you choose to join one of our lists, you may ask to be removed at any time. At your request we will correct, update or remove your personal data from our Site within a reasonable amount of time.

Georgia Commute Options is the sole owner of information collected on this site; however, Georgia Commute Options shares this information with Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and other partners in the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) community upon request. It should be noted that Enterprise as well as other private employers have access to commuter information for those who are interested in vanpooling only. All personal information provided will remain confidential and will not be sold or provided to any unaffiliated third party for their independent use. The information may be shared with commuter’s employers, local Transportation Management Associations (TMAs), other employer service organizations (ESOs). TMAs or ESOs may share this information with vanpool leasing agents and/or to provide you with approved, coordinated information about products, services and special campaigns that encourage the use of alternatives to driving alone. Personal Information refers to individually identifiable information, such as a first and last name, a home or other physical address, phone number, or an e-mail address or other contact information, whether at work or at home.

We will not sell, share, or rent this information to anyone without your permission unless Georgia Commute Options believes in good faith that it is compelled to do so by federal law, state law or court order.

By Completing a Survey
Occasionally, our site requests information from users via surveys. Participation in these surveys is completely voluntary, and you can choose whether or not to disclose this information. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and address) and demographic information (such as zip code and age range). Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring and improving the site, improving our services, or collecting information that will be of use to our site visitors generally.

Ridematching
Information requested for purposes of ridematching may include home address, work address, phone number, cell phone number, email address, commute information, school information (if a student), work supervisor name, supervisor’s phone and email address.

This information may also be shared with The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and may be entered into the regional rideshare database. In entering the ridematching database, possible rideshare matches are made via computer and based upon proximity of home and worksite addresses and work schedules.

Personal Information will only be used to facilitate ridematches. Potential rideshare partners may receive notifications containing limited contact information, but without your home phone (unless you have requested this) and without your home street number. The ridematch system may also show the relative geographic locations of participants to the other participants, such as by showing dots on a map that may show the general neighborhood or location (though not specific home or work addresses).

In addition, you may receive e-mail messages from ridematch program administrators requesting you to review and update your Personal Information or phone calls to provide follow-up assistance. This information is solely for the purpose of helping you form a carpool or join a vanpool. This information may also be shared with a vanpool leasing company for the purpose of vanpool formation. Registrants’ information for ARC’s ridematching system will be kept in accordance with this Information Privacy Policy.

When Contacting Us Through Our Site
When you send us an e-mail from our site, we may retain information such as the content, your e-mail address, our response, and the text of any follow-up questions you may have. We may use this information, for example, to measure how effectively we address concerns online.

Links to Other Sites
This website contains links to other sites. Georgia Commute Options cannot monitor all linked resources, only those pages which fall within the Georgia Commute Options web structure. Please be aware that Georgia Commute Options is not responsible for the privacy practices of any other sites, and the statements, views and opinions expressed therein are neither endorsed by nor do they reflect the opinions of Georgia Commute Options. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this website. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of other websites before disclosing any personal information on another site. Inclusion of links to other websites does not imply any endorsement of the web site or any material provided on that website.

Security and Storage of Information
Georgia Commute Options protects all information from our users. Personally identifiable information is only accessible to a limited number of employees who have specific access rights to systems storing such information. All employees are required to follow our security and privacy practices and to ensure that your information is protected. Personally identifiable information is stored only on secure servers. We have established appropriate physical, electronic and managerial safeguards, as well as current security practices to protect the information that we collect from and about our users. These safeguards are routinely reviewed to protect against unauthorized access, disclosure and improper use of information as well as maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the data.

Georgia Commute Options cannot guarantee the security, accuracy or completeness of any information or procedures. Although we take appropriate measures to safeguard against unauthorized disclosures of information, we cannot assure you that personally identifiable information that we collect will never be disclosed in a manner that is inconsistent with this Privacy Policy, therefore information transmitted to us is done at your own risk.

Notification of Changes
From time to time, we may need to update this Privacy Policy. You may visit the Georgia Commute Options Privacy and Security page at GaCommuteOptions.com to view the current copy of our Privacy Policy. We will also keep prior versions of this Privacy Policy in an archive for your review.

Georgia Commute Options will use information in accordance with the privacy policy under which the information was collected. If circumstances arise that relate to disclosure of information about users that is not within the scope of this Privacy Policy, Georgia Commute Options will use its judgment in deciding how to proceed.

Children Under 13
Georgia Commute Options does not intentionally solicit or collect personal information about or from children under the age of 13. If you are under 13 and would like to use our website, please ask a parent or guardian for assistance. If a child under the age of 13 sends data or personal information to Georgia Commute Options, and this information can be identified as originating from a child, the information will be deleted.

Legal Issues
This is a United States website and is subject to United States law. Georgia Commute Options will disclose personally identifiable information without your permission when required by law, or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to investigate or protect against harmful activities to Georgia Commute Options employees or property (including this site), or to others.

When public disclosure is not required (§ 50-18-72), records acquired by an agency for the purpose of establishing or implementing, or assisting in the establishment or implementation of, a carpooling or ridesharing program, including, but not limited to, the formation of carpools, vanpools, or buspools, the provision of transit routes, rideshare research, and the development of other demand management strategies such as variable working hours and telecommuting.

Questions
With respect to the Georgia Commute Options site, there are two options regarding your personal information. If you wish to contact us about our services, then you need to disclose your contact information so that we can service your request. If you do not wish to contact us about our services, we will have gathered no information about you, and you do not need to take any further action. If you have elected to pursue the first of these options, after you have obtained the information you sought, you may at any time request that we remove your name and other contact information from our database. Upon receipt of such a request for removal, we will promptly take action to comply with your request. If you have questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with Georgia Commute Options, please contact us at one of the following addresses:

Regular mail to:
Atlanta Regional Commission, Attn: Georgia Commute Options
229 Peachtree Street, NE Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30303

In person at:
Atlanta Regional Commission, Attn: Georgia Commute Options
229 Peachtree Street, NE Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30303

E-mail Address:
info@gacommuteoptions.com