Community Guidelines

YamuShare exists so people travelling between Sri Lankan cities can share the journey, share the cost, and meet a few good people along the way. It is not a taxi service, not a ride-hail app, and not a way to make a living — it's neighbours and colleagues sharing their everyday journeys.

These guidelines describe what "good" looks like on the platform. They apply to everyone — Hosts, Passengers, and the YamuShare team — and they apply equally on the website, the mobile app, in our chat threads, and inside the vehicle.

Sri Lanka is a small country with many languages, religions, regions, and politics. YamuShare welcomes everyone and we expect every interaction on the platform to reflect that.

• No harassment, hate speech, or threats — including in chat messages, voice calls, or face-to-face during the trip.
• No discrimination on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or political view.
• Sexual harassment and unwanted advances are zero-tolerance and result in immediate suspension.
• Disagreements happen — keep them civil. If you can't resolve something with the other party, use the in-app reporting flow.

Sharing a journey only works if everyone shows up when they say they will. Both sides have a part to play.

• Hosts — depart at the time you posted. If you're running late, message the booked Passengers as soon as you know — even a 5-minute heads-up makes a difference.
• Passengers — be at the pickup point a few minutes early. If something has come up and you're going to be late, tell the Host before the pickup time, not after.
• If you find yourself running late more than once a month, take it as a signal to leave more buffer next time. The reliability zone system tracks patterns, not one-off bad days.

Read more about how the reliability system works at How reliability works →

Once the trip starts, the Host's vehicle is a shared space for several hours. A few rules keep that space pleasant for everyone:

• Seat-belts on. Always. Both legally and as a YamuShare expectation.
• Smoking, vaping, alcohol, food, and pets — these are at the Host's discretion and should be agreed before pickup. The trip listing surfaces the Host's preferences; if a Passenger has a question (e.g. allergy to perfume), ask in chat before booking.
• Music — the Host chooses; reasonable volume; honour requests for a quieter ride if a Passenger needs to work or sleep.
• Conversation — Passengers are welcome to chat or to ride quietly. Don't push someone to talk if they'd rather rest.
• Hygiene — basic personal hygiene matters in a closed vehicle for several hours.

Cancellations sometimes have to happen — that's life. The platform handles the financial side via the cancellation policy. Our community-side ask is simpler:

• Communicate early. The moment you know you can't make it, message the other party. Hours of notice is much better than minutes.
• Don't ghost. Silently failing to show up — "no-show" — is the most disruptive behaviour on the platform and is treated seriously by the reliability system.
• Give a reason if you can. "Family emergency" or "car broke down" is enough — you don't have to share private details, but a brief reason builds trust.

See the full rules and current numbers at Cancellation Policy →

Hosts and Passengers each accumulate a reliability signal based on their patterns over time — not one-off bad days. The signal feeds the visibility, ranking, and (in extreme cases) suspension decisions on the platform.

The principle: occasional mistakes are forgivable; repeated patterns are not. If you cancel one trip in a busy six months, nothing changes. If you cancel four in three weeks, the system will start showing your trips less prominently and (eventually) intervene.

Full ladder and zone definitions at How reliability works →

If something goes wrong on a trip, tell us. The user-detail page has a report flow that lets you describe what happened and (optionally) attach evidence. Reports are reviewed by the YamuShare safety team.

• Safety incidents — report immediately, even if you handled it on the day. Patterns matter for the next person.
• Behaviour complaints — try to resolve directly first if you can. If not, report it — we'd rather know.
• False reports — the report flow is for genuine concerns. Repeatedly filing reports against another user without basis is itself a breach of these guidelines.

We treat all reports confidentially. The user being reported sees that an investigation has been opened but does not see the reporter's identity unless safety considerations require it.

Breaches of these guidelines are handled in proportion to the severity and the user's history.

• First-time minor — friendly nudge in-app explaining the issue.
• Repeated or moderate — formal warning, recorded against the account.
• Serious — temporary suspension (typically 7 to 30 days) while the issue is investigated.
• Severe or repeated severe — permanent removal from the platform.

Safety-critical breaches (assault, drunk driving, weapons, harassment) skip straight to permanent removal regardless of history.

These are first-version guidelines. We expect them to evolve as the YamuShare community grows and as we learn what works in practice.

We will publish updates with a changelog and notify users of material changes. Community input is welcome via the reporting flow or by emailing community@yamushare.com.