Important Disclosures

1. Platform Classification

Pliho is a peer-to-peer cost-sharing carpooling marketplace operating under 23 U.S.C. § 146, which declares carpooling a national transportation policy priority and directs states to remove regulatory barriers to carpooling programs.

Pliho is NOT a Transportation Network Company (TNC), common carrier, taxi service, or transportation provider. Pliho does not dispatch drivers, set driver routes, or guarantee the availability of any trip. All trips are voluntarily posted by drivers making journeys for their own personal purposes.

2. Driver Insurance Disclosure

IMPORTANT: Pliho does not provide automobile insurance coverage for drivers or riders.

Standard personal auto insurance policies contain a "livery exclusion" clause that may void coverage when a vehicle is used to carry passengers for any form of compensation, including cost-sharing. Drivers using Pliho are solely responsible for obtaining insurance coverage appropriate for carpooling activity, such as a rideshare endorsement from a major insurer (State Farm, GEICO, Progressive, Allstate, and others offer these in most states at approximately $10–30/month added to an existing premium).

Drivers in New York and New Jersey may face more limited endorsement options and may require a commercial auto policy. Pliho flags state-specific insurance guidance during driver onboarding.

By booking a trip as a rider, you acknowledge that you are entering into a private carpooling arrangement directly with the driver. Pliho strongly recommends that riders carry personal accident or travel insurance for coverage independent of the driver's policy.

3. IRS Cost-Share Compliance

All seat cost-share amounts on Pliho are bounded by the IRS Standard Mileage Rate, which for 2026 is $0.725 per mile (IRS Notice IR-2025-128). This rate represents the full estimated cost of operating a vehicle, including fuel, depreciation, maintenance, insurance, and registration.

Pliho's Capped Bidding Engine enforces a hard ceiling in real time:

Ceiling per seat = (trip miles × $0.725 + tolls) ÷ seats offered

No rider may be charged, and no driver may collect, more than this ceiling for any single trip. This ceiling is calculated at the time of booking using live trip distance data from Google Maps and the current IRS rate stored in Pliho's database.

This structure is designed to ensure that driver receipts constitute cost recovery, not profit, under federal IRS standards and the regulatory frameworks of all 50 states where Pliho operates.

4. Driver Tax Disclosure

Cost-share amounts received by drivers may or may not constitute taxable income depending on individual circumstances. The IRS has historically treated genuine cost-sharing carpooling arrangements, where receipts do not exceed the standard mileage rate, as non-taxable reimbursements rather than income. However, tax treatment depends on individual facts and applicable IRS guidance at the time of filing.

Pliho does not provide tax advice. Drivers are solely responsible for their own tax filings and should consult a qualified tax professional. Pliho provides in-app mileage logs to assist drivers with IRS recordkeeping. Pliho will issue appropriate tax forms (e.g., 1099-K) if required by law based on the aggregate amounts processed through your account.

5. No Guarantee of Trip Availability

Pliho does not guarantee the availability of any particular trip, route, or meetup schedule. All trips are posted voluntarily by drivers. Pliho does not guarantee that a driver will complete a posted trip, that a driver will appear at the meetup point, or that any minimum number of trips will be available in any corridor or time period.

Riders should make alternative arrangements for any journey for which reliable transportation is critical. Pliho is a supplementary cost-sharing option, not a guaranteed transportation service.

6. Identity Verification Scope

Pliho requires identity verification for all drivers and riders through government ID upload and biometric liveness checks. Verification is performed by Didit, a third-party identity verification processor.

Verification confirms that a user has presented a valid, unaltered government-issued identity document and that the live selfie matches the document photo. Verification does not constitute a background check, criminal record check, driving record check, or guarantee of any user's character, driving skill, or conduct.

Pliho reserves the right to require additional verification at any time and to suspend any account whose identity cannot be confirmed to the platform's standards.

7. No-Show & Cancellation Risk

Users acknowledge the following financial risks associated with the platform's cancellation and no-show policies:

For riders: If you cancel fewer than 2 hours before departure, 50% of your seat cost-share will be captured and paid to the driver. If you do not appear at the meetup point within 10 minutes of the confirmed departure time, 100% of your seat cost-share (minus the 10% Marketplace Fee) will be captured and paid to the driver. The Safety & Technology Fee is non-refundable in all cancellation scenarios.

For drivers: If you do not appear at the meetup point, you will receive a no-show strike. Three strikes within six months result in account suspension. Repeated no-shows may result in permanent account termination.

8. High-Risk Jurisdiction Notice

While Pliho's cost-sharing carpooling model is legally distinct from TNC regulation in all 50 states under federal and state law, certain jurisdictions maintain more complex regulatory environments:

New York City: The NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) has jurisdiction over intra-city for-hire trips within the five boroughs. Pliho does not support intra-NYC trips; all NYC-origin trips must terminate outside the five boroughs.

California: The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regulates TNCs broadly. Pliho's pre-scheduled, intercity, cost-recovery model is structurally distinct from CPUC-regulated services.

Washington, DC: DC's Department of For-Hire Vehicles (DFHV) focuses on intra-city for-hire services. Pliho's model is intercity and cost-recovery only.

Pliho is not legal advice. Consult a transportation attorney if you have questions about carpooling regulation in your specific jurisdiction.

9. Limitation of Platform Liability

Pliho's liability for any claim arising from platform use is limited to the amount of the Safety & Technology Fee paid in the specific transaction giving rise to the claim, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Pliho is not liable for accidents, injuries, property damage, insurance denials, or any harm arising from trips arranged on the platform. See Section 12 of the Terms and Conditions for the full limitation of liability.

Contact

Questions about these disclosures:

Email: legal@pliho.com In-app: Help → Contact Support