Terms of use

1. What Birge is

Birge (gobirge.com) is an online platform where people find travel companions and organise trips together across Central Asia. Some users — organisers — post trips: route, date, number of seats and price. Others — travellers — send requests and join.

By using the site you accept these terms and the privacy policy. If you do not agree with them, please do not use the site.

2. Birge is a platform, not a carrier

• Birge does not provide transport services and is not a carrier, tour operator, travel agent or taxi service.
• Birge is not a party to arrangements between the organiser, travellers and the carrier. Those arrangements are made directly between them.
• The organiser sets the route, time, price, vehicle and terms of the trip, and is responsible for what they publish.
• Birge does not check drivers, vehicles, licences, insurance or travellers' documents unless the trip page explicitly says otherwise, and does not guarantee that a trip will take place.
• Birge does not accept, hold or transfer money. Travellers agree on payment themselves — usually in the trip chat.

3. Your account

You can browse trips without an account. To send a request, create a trip or write in chats, you need one.

• You must be at least 18 to use the site. Minors travel only with an adult who is responsible for them and lists them as companions in the request.
• Give truthful information about yourself. One person, one account.
• You are responsible for keeping your password safe and for everything that happens in your account. If you notice someone else signing in, change your password and contact us.

4. For organisers

• Only post real trips with accurate details: route, time, number of seats, price, vehicle and what is included.
• Follow the laws of the countries on the route on passenger transport, border crossing, licences and insurance. If a carrier operates the trip, you are responsible for choosing it and you name it on the trip page.
• Review requests and reply to travellers. When you decline, give a reason.
• If the trip will not take place, cancel it as early as possible — travellers will be notified.
• Do not change the terms for confirmed travellers without their consent.

5. For travellers

• State the real number of people and your luggage in the request.
• Be at the meeting point on time and keep to what you agreed with the organiser.
• If your plans change, cancel your request or leave the trip as early as possible.
• The decision to travel is yours: check the organiser's rating and reviews and ask questions in the chat before the trip.

6. Safety

• Talk and agree on things in the Birge chat — the conversation is on record, and it can be reviewed if someone reports it.
• Do not pay a stranger in full in advance, and never share the code from a Birge email.
• If you notice fraud, threats or anything suspicious, use “Report” on the message or profile. The Birge team reviews reports.
• In an emergency, call the emergency services: 112.

7. What is not allowed

• Deception and fraud, fake trips and fake accounts.
• Insults, threats, discrimination and harassment.
• Spam, advertising and selling third-party services in chats and descriptions.
• Publishing other people's personal data without consent.
• Carrying prohibited goods or any other illegal activity.
• Attempts to hack the site, scrape users' data or disrupt the service.

Birge may remove content and restrict or block accounts that break these rules — without warning if the violation is serious.

8. Reviews and ratings

After a trip, travellers can review each other. A review must be honest and about a real trip. We may remove reviews that break these terms: insulting, revealing personal data or unrelated to the trip.

9. Reports and moderation

The Birge team reviews reports. To review a report, a moderator may read the conversation it concerns. Moderators do not read other conversations.

10. Your content

You are responsible for what you publish: trip descriptions, messages, photos and reviews. By publishing it, you allow Birge to show it on the site to the extent needed to run the service.

11. Liability

We work to keep the site running smoothly, but we provide it “as is” and do not guarantee that it will always be available.

To the extent permitted by law, Birge is not liable for the acts or omissions of users and carriers, for whether a trip takes place, for its quality, safety or legality, for delays, cancellations, lost or damaged luggage, personal injury or property damage, or for payments between travellers.

Nothing in these terms limits liability where the law does not allow it to be limited.

12. Changes

We may update these terms. The date of the latest change is shown at the top of the page. By continuing to use the site after a change, you accept the updated terms.

13. Contact us

Questions about these terms: support@gobirge.com.