TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE DIGITAL DRIVER-EQUB PLATFORM
Last Updated: June 16 - 2026hjh
Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully before registering, downloading, or using the application platform. By creating an account or participating in any savings group (Equb) on this platform, you agree to be bound legally by this entire agreement. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not access or use the application.
1. DEFINITIONS AND KEY ROLES
The Platform/App: The mobile application, technology framework, and backend software facilitating digital Equb services.
The Operator: The technology company providing the digital infrastructure, management tracking, and logistical oversight for the platform.
Member/User: A verified commercial driver who registers an account and voluntarily joins a savings cycle.
Trusted Driver Collector (ሰብሳቢ): A designated user officially appointed to track transactions, log payment codes, and assist in reporting weekly collections for a specific group.
Finance Officers: Authorized administrative staff responsible for final ledger audits, verifying transaction references, and approving pool releases.
2. ELIGIBILITY AND ACCOUNT KYC VERIFICATION
To register an active account and participate in any digital saving circle, the user must meet and continuously satisfy the following requirements:
Driver Verification: The user must be a verified, active driver attached to an approved digital transportation network or ride-hailing company (such as Yango).
Performance Metrics: Certain high-tier groups may restrict entry to high-performing drivers who fulfill mandatory operational quotas (e.g., executing 85 weekly trips or earning specified corporate weekly bonuses).
Mandatory Profile Data: Users must register using their exact full legal name matching their official government ID, a valid vehicle license plate number, primary operating zone, and a mobile telephone number directly registered to their mobile financial wallet.
Accuracy Guarantee: Any submission of false identities, misleading trip data, or incorrect phone records will result in an immediate profile ban and forfeiture of group participation.
3. NATURE OF THE DIGITAL SERVICE
Technology Provider Disclaimer: The platform serves strictly as a digital technology infrastructure provider that modernizes, structures, and automates community-based rotating savings groups (Equbs).
Non-Financial Institution: The Operator is not a licensed bank, microfinance company, or direct lender. All financial funds pooled inside a cycle are contributed voluntarily by the drivers themselves.
No Commercial Commission on Capital: The group saving model operates free of standard commercial interest rates, ensuring pooled driver capital transfers transparently from members directly to the designated weekly recipient.
4. EQUB GROUP STRUCTURES & CONTRIBUTION TIERS
Fixed Group Metrics: Equb groups are arranged into rigid structures with fixed member counts (e.g., 10 drivers), specific cycle timelines (e.g., 10 weeks), and locked contribution amounts.
Standard Contribution Levels: Drivers join specific tiers with set contribution sizes, including options such as 2,000 ETB, 4,000 ETB, 6,000 ETB, 8,000 ETB, or 10,000 ETB per round. These amounts are fixed at group formation and cannot be modified mid-cycle.
Rotational Payouts: The weekly collective pool is awarded to one group member per round based on either an automated, unbiased digital lottery draw or a pre-determined sequential roster.
Administrative Fees: To sustain system infrastructure, server tracking, and group administrative costs, a 1% processing fee is explicitly calculated and deducted from the totals during the cycle.
5. DIGITAL WALLET PROCESSING & INTEGRATION
Digital Wallet Primacy: All standard weekly contributions, administrative deductions, and final pool payouts are integrated electronically and executed through authorized mobile financial systems, specifically Telebirr.
Transaction Validation: Drivers must supply the exact digital transaction reference or confirmation code for every payment submitted. No contribution is marked valid until its electronic transaction code matches platform financial logs.
Cash Prohibition: Physical cash collection is strictly restricted within standard automated app groups to ensure bookkeeping transparency. Any manual payment exception must be logged in a verified Collector Logbook and require an official, physically stamped receipt signed by an authorized Finance Officer to be legally valid.
Reporting Deadlines: All weekly contributions and accompanying mobile wallet reference data must be completed and submitted before the group's strict cutoff deadline (e.g., every Friday by 5:00 PM / 11:00 ሰዓት).
6. DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS, PENALTIES, AND FRAUD
Late Contribution Penalties: Any contribution submitted past the designated group cutoff time automatically incurs an explicitly calculated late penalty adjustment fee added directly to the driver's pending balance.
Repeated Late Actions: A driver is permitted to delay payment only once per active cycle. Repeated delays or missing two consecutive weeks without official administrative approval results in immediate removal from the active group, profile suspension, and loss of future lottery drawing rights.
Escrow Forfeiture: Any funds contributed by a defaulting member prior to their expulsion will be securely held in an administrative escrow account until the entire group cycle concludes.
Fraud Actions: Any deliberate attempt to game the system, fake mobile money screenshots, or manipulate ride-hailing performance metrics will lead to permanent platform blacklisting and immediate submission to local law enforcement.
7. FINANCIAL MANDATES AND SECURITY CHECK GUARANTEES
The Security Requirement: To protect the collective financial interests of the saving group, any driver selected by lottery or rotation to receive the weekly pool payout must provide a legally binding security mechanism before funds are released.
Security Check Deposit: Prior to receiving the Telebirr payout transfer, the winning driver must submit a valid, signed security check to the platform finance office equivalent to the remaining balance owed for the rest of the cycle.
Release of Security: The physical check will be held securely by the platform management and will be returned to the driver immediately upon successful completion of the group's full cycle.
Forfeiture of Payout Rank: Failure or refusal to supply a valid security check will result in an immediate loss of payout priority for that specific round, and the pool will be deferred to the next eligible driver.
8. DEFAULT RECOVERY AND LEGAL ESCALATION
Post-Payout Default: If a driver successfully takes the collective pool payout but subsequently defaults on their remaining weekly contributions, the platform will initiate immediate recovery protocols.
Insufficient Funds Check Escalation: If a driver defaults after receiving their payout, the platform will present the security check for payment. If the check is rejected for insufficient funds, the platform will launch immediate criminal and civil recovery proceedings under Ethiopian banking laws.
Corporate Reporting: The platform reserves the right to report default statuses, outstanding debts, and bad-faith actions directly to associated ride-hailing providers (such as Yango), which may result in driver account blocks on those partner networks.
9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
Operational Contingencies: The platform is not responsible for network downtimes, mobile wallet delays, or transaction errors caused by external telecommunications providers or partner banks.
Member Actions: While the platform utilizes security checks and identity verification to safeguard saving cycles, the platform is not directly liable for financial damages caused by individual driver defaults, except to pursue legal debt collection on behalf of the group.
10. GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Governing Law: This agreement, the internal group structures, and all associated digital saving operations are governed strictly by the laws of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Amicable Mediation: In the event of any operational error, dispute, or tracking discrepancy, the user agrees to first submit the issue to the app's internal support desk for peaceful mediation. Unresolved structural disputes will be handled through relevant local authorities.
11. IN-APP ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE
By tapping "I AGREE", you formally acknowledge that:
You are a verified, actively licensed driver.
You agree to make all regular weekly contributions from your active driving income.
You fully understand and accept that a valid security check matching your remaining cycle balance is required to release any pool payout to your mobile wallet.
Any failure to maintain payments after pocketing a payout will result in legal action, asset recovery, and a report to your ride-hailing platform.