UPSO Caravan
Your seat to the next city, for less. Here's exactly how it works, what it costs, and the rules that keep every trip safe and legal.
See open trips →How it works
- A verified UPSO Pro posts a trip they're already driving, like Kingston → Toronto on Saturday, and sets a per-seat price, capped by law at a share of the trip's cost.
- You book a seat and pay in the app. Your payment is held securely- it isn't released to your Pro until after the trip happens.
- You meet at the pickup point, ride together, and everyone splits the cost of a drive that was happening anyway.
For passengers
- What you pay- the per-seat cost-share plus a small UPSO booking fee, both shown in full before you pay. The price you see is the price you're charged.
- Payment protection- your money is held by UPSO and released to your Pro only after the trip. If the driver cancels the trip, you're refunded automatically, in full, fees included.
- Changing plans- cancel more than 24 hours before departure for a full refund of the seat. Under 24 hours, 50% of the seat goes to your driver (they saved it for you). A no-show pays the full seat.
- Who's driving- every Caravan driver is a verified UPSO Pro, government ID, driver's licence, vehicle insurance, registration, safety inspection, and police record check, all verified before they can post a single trip.
- Why there's no tip option- tips would turn a cost-share carpool into paid driving work. Leaving them out protects your driver, and it means nobody ever expects one.
- Luggage, pets & smoking- every trip card shows the driver's comfort chips, how much luggage fits, whether pets are welcome, smoking, winter tires. Bringing something unusual? Message the driver in chat after booking.
- Travelling with a child- Ontario car-seat law applies like any private car, if your child needs a car seat or booster, you bring it and install it. Book a seat for every person travelling, whatever their age.
- If your driver doesn't show- contact support from the app, you're refunded in full, fees included, and it counts against the driver's record.
For drivers (Pros)
- You keep 100% of the seat price- UPSO's fee is charged to the rider on top, never taken out of your cost-share.
- Price cap- your per-seat price is capped at a per-kilometre cost-share ceiling, enforced automatically. This is what keeps a trip cost-sharing rather than commercial driving, which is the line that needs no commercial licence. Confirm carpooling with your own insurer before you post.
- Trip limits- at most one round trip per day carries passengers, and up to 7 seats per trip: UPSO's limits, set to keep every trip inside Ontario's carpool exemption, and enforced by the app so you can't accidentally cross them.
- You choose who rides- post with instant booking, or approve each rider yourself before any payment is taken.
- Getting paid- complete the trip in the app and the held seat payments release to you. A rider who cancels late or doesn't show still pays their share.
Safety
- Verified people only- drivers pass full document and police-record checks; riders book with verified accounts and payment on file, no cash, no strangers from a comment section.
- Insured vehicles- every Caravan vehicle carries valid Ontario auto insurance, verified before the driver can post. Caravan is built as cost-sharing rather than paid driving, which is what keeps it a carpool, though coverage is always set by each driver's own policy and insurer.
- Boarding list- drivers check riders in at pickup, so who's in the car is always on record.
- In-app chat- coordinate the exact meeting spot without sharing phone numbers.
- Ratings both ways- riders rate drivers publicly; drivers rate riders privately. Repeat no-shows and bad actors don't last.
- Support- every trip is backed by UPSO support, reach us any time from the app.
The legal footing (plain English)
In Ontario, driving passengers between cities for profit requires a commercial passenger licence and commercial insurance. There's one exception, and it's the one Caravan is built on: a genuine carpool- a driver already making a trip who lets riders chip in toward its cost. That's why every Caravan rule exists:
- Capped prices- a seat can never cost more than its share of the trip, the driver covers costs, never profits.
- No tips, no "fares"- income would break the carpool exemption.
- Scheduled only- drivers post planned trips; there is deliberately no "pick me up now" button, on-demand is what makes a taxi.
- UPSO's role- we're the platform that connects the carpool, verification, payments held in trust, and support. We are not a transport operator, and our fee comes from the booking, not the driver's cost-share.
This page describes how UPSO Caravan works and is provided for transparency; it is not legal advice. See our Terms of Service for the full agreement.