J-Pool Participant Agreement

Last Updated: 8 July 2026

This Participant Agreement explains the practical responsibilities of people who use J-Pool to create, request, join, coordinate or participate in shared journeys.

J-Pool is a UK-first community mobility coordination platform, headquartered in the United Kingdom and currently piloting in Aberdeen, Scotland. J-Pool helps trusted communities, organisations, Hosts and Pals coordinate shared journeys, known as Pools, in a safer, more structured and more transparent way.

This Agreement should be read together with the J-Pool Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Safety Policy, Community Guidelines and any community-specific rules that apply to your use of J-Pool.

By registering for, accessing or using J-Pool, you agree to this Participant Agreement. If you do not agree, you should not use the Platform.

Key Participant Terms

A Pool means a shared journey coordinated through J-Pool.

A Host means a participant who creates, publishes, offers, organises or coordinates a Pool.

A Pal means a participant who requests to join, books, joins or participates in a Pool.

A Community means a trusted group using J-Pool, such as a workplace, university, church, association, residential community, diaspora community, neighbourhood, shift-based group, local organisation or other structured or unstructured community.

A Community Admin means an approved person or organisation representative who helps manage onboarding, verification, membership, access, reporting or safety within a Community.

Nature of Participation

J-Pool is a community mobility coordination platform. It enables people within trusted communities to organise and participate in shared journeys.

J-Pool does not own or operate vehicles for ordinary community Pools. J-Pool does not employ Hosts or Pals. J-Pool does not provide transport services directly and does not act as a taxi company, private hire operator, bus operator, coach operator, public transport provider or transport carrier.

Pools are arranged between participants within trusted communities. J-Pool provides technology to support coordination, verification, communication, payments, Wallet activity, safety tools, reporting, support and community-level visibility.

J-Pool is designed to support lawful shared mobility, community coordination and permitted cost contributions. It must not be used for unlawful commercial passenger transport, taxi-style activity, street-hailing, unlicensed private hire work or profit-making passenger transport unless J-Pool has expressly approved a lawful licensed arrangement in writing.

Eligibility and Community Access

To use J-Pool, you must be at least 18 years old, use your own identity, provide accurate information, keep your account secure and comply with this Agreement, the J-Pool Terms and Conditions, applicable community rules and applicable laws.

You may need to be part of, invited by or approved for a supported Community before accessing certain features. J-Pool, a Community Partner or a Community Admin may require identity, community, Host, vehicle, payment or safety verification before allowing you to create, join or participate in Pools.

You must not share your account with another person, allow someone else to use your account, provide false information, impersonate another person, misuse another person’s details or use J-Pool for unlawful, unsafe or misleading purposes.

J-Pool may refuse, restrict, suspend or remove access if we cannot verify your identity, community access, Host eligibility, vehicle information, payment status, safety status or compliance with this Agreement.

Host Responsibilities

If you act as a Host, you must only create Pools you genuinely intend to complete. You must provide accurate route, timing, pickup, drop-off, seat, vehicle and contribution information, and you must communicate clearly with Pals where changes are necessary.

Where you are driving, you must hold a valid driving licence, use a safe and roadworthy vehicle, comply with road traffic laws, maintain any required MOT, tax, insurance, permission, licence or vehicle documentation, and ensure your vehicle is suitable for the Pool.

You must not carry more passengers than your vehicle is designed, insured or legally permitted to carry. You must drive safely, avoid unsafe conduct, respect Pals and other community members, and comply with J-Pool safety rules.

You are responsible for confirming that your insurance and any applicable legal requirements allow you to participate in shared journeys where cost contributions may occur. J-Pool may request evidence of licence, vehicle, insurance or verification information where needed.

Being approved or verified as a Host does not make you an employee, worker, contractor, agent, partner or representative of J-Pool.

Pal Responsibilities

If you act as a Pal, you must provide accurate booking, pickup, drop-off and contact information. You should arrive at the agreed pickup point on time, communicate promptly if you are delayed, and treat the Host, other Pals, vehicles, community members and J-Pool staff respectfully.

You must follow reasonable safety instructions, wear a seatbelt where required, avoid disruptive or unsafe behaviour, and pay any displayed contribution, fee, Wallet amount or approved charge that applies to your Pool.

You must not damage, misuse, contaminate or interfere with a Host’s vehicle. You must not pressure a Host to take an unsafe, unlawful, unauthorised or materially different route. You must not bring illegal, dangerous, offensive, restricted or prohibited items into a Pool.

Repeated no-shows, late cancellations, non-payment, unsafe conduct, harassment, discrimination, false reports or misuse of the Platform may lead to warnings, restrictions, suspension or account removal.

Safety, Conduct and Community Trust

All participants must act respectfully, responsibly and lawfully when using J-Pool. You must not harass, threaten, abuse, discriminate against, exploit, intimidate or harm another person.

You must not use J-Pool to create fake Pools, fake bookings, fake accounts, misleading reports, false reviews, fraudulent payment activity or off-platform arrangements where not allowed.

J-Pool may provide safety features such as verification, in-app communication, Pool information, ratings, reports, emergency contacts, SOS tools, support escalation, Community Admin visibility and active Pool location features. These tools are designed to support safety, but they do not remove all risk.

In an immediate emergency, participants should contact the relevant emergency service directly. J-Pool’s safety tools are not a replacement for police, ambulance, fire service, roadside assistance or other emergency services.

Participants should report unsafe behaviour, incidents, harassment, discrimination, payment issues, fraud concerns or serious community issues through J-Pool support or the relevant in-app reporting tools.

Payments, Contributions and Reliability

J-Pool may support payments, Wallet funding, Wallet payments, journey credits, refunds, vouchers, Host balances, Host withdrawals, community-funded journeys or other approved payment features depending on the Community, product stage and location.

For ordinary community car-sharing Pools, Host contributions should normally represent a permitted contribution towards journey-related costs. They must not be used to create an unlawful profit-making taxi, private hire or commercial passenger transport service.

Hosts must not request, demand or pressure Pals into making off-platform payments unless J-Pool has expressly allowed that payment method for the relevant Pool, Community or pilot. Pals should not pay outside the Platform unless J-Pool clearly confirms that this is allowed.

Participants are expected to honour confirmed Pools, arrive on time, communicate clearly and cancel only where reasonably necessary. Repeated cancellations, late cancellations, no-shows or unreliable participation may lead to warnings, lower trust indicators, temporary restrictions, suspension or removal from the Platform.

Ratings, reviews and reports must be truthful, fair and based on genuine experience. J-Pool may investigate reports, moderate reviews, restrict accounts, remove users from Communities, suspend Host access or take other reasonable action where trust, safety, payment integrity or community standards are affected.

Suspension, Changes and Contact

J-Pool may restrict, suspend or remove a participant’s access where we reasonably believe the participant has breached this Agreement, provided false information, failed verification, misused the Platform, created safety risks, acted fraudulently, failed to pay, misused Wallet or withdrawal features, harmed another user or community, or violated applicable laws or community rules.

J-Pool may update this Participant Agreement from time to time to reflect changes in the Platform, pilot structure, safety practices, payment features, Wallet features, legal requirements, community arrangements, product development, regional expansion or business operations.

For participants using J-Pool in the United Kingdom, this Agreement is governed by the laws of Scotland, unless mandatory consumer protection laws provide otherwise.

For questions about this Participant Agreement, please contact:

Email: legal@thejourneypool.com
Platform: J-Pool / The Journey Pool
Website: thejourneypool.com

By using J-Pool, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to this Participant Agreement.