Question 1

What does "verified" mean, and how long does licence review take?

Accepted Answer

Verified means CrownHop has reviewed your driver licence upload and approved your account for hosting drives. Review usually takes from about a minute up to about a day depending on volume and photo clarity.

Question 2

What if my licence upload is rejected—can I still book or only drive?

Accepted Answer

You can still book rides as a passenger. You cannot host drives until your licence is accepted. Email help@crownhop.com if you believe the decision was wrong.

Question 3

Can I use the app as only a passenger, only a driver, or both?

Accepted Answer

You can choose passenger, driver, or both in your profile. Drivers list trips and browse trip requests; passengers search and book. Using both unlocks all flows.

Question 4

What is the difference between posting a trip and posting a ride request? Who sees what? What do "open" and "accepted" mean?

Accepted Answer

A listed trip is a scheduled driver listing visible in Search for passengers to book and pay. A ride request is posted by a passenger; while open it appears on the Trip requests board for drivers. When a driver accepts, the request becomes accepted and leaves the open board but remains visible to the passenger and accepting driver.

Question 5

If I accept a community request, can I release it—and what happens to the passenger?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Under Profile → My rides → Trip requests you accepted, you can cancel your hold and return the request to open status on the Trip requests board. The passenger's request is not deleted.

Question 6

How do female-only trips work?

Accepted Answer

Female-only trips can only be listed by drivers with Female on their profile, and only passengers with Female on their profile can book them. Female-only bookings also require Stripe identity verification. Gender is locked after verification.

Question 7

What does “Mobility friendly” mean on a trip?

Accepted Answer

Mobility friendly means the driver believes their vehicle and setup can work for passengers using wheelchairs or with limited mobility. It is a driver attestation, not an independent audit. Message the driver before booking to confirm your needs.

Question 8

What do amenities (smoking, pets, food/drink) mean? Are they binding?

Accepted Answer

Amenities reflect what the driver allows on that trip. Passengers should still respect the car and driver boundaries; confirm in chat before the day if something matters to you.

Question 9

Who can read chat and shared locations? How long is data kept?

Accepted Answer

Only people in that chat thread can read messages and location pins under current security rules. Retention follows normal account and backup practices; see the Privacy Policy for formal data questions.

Question 10

Do you show exact home addresses?

Accepted Answer

CrownHop uses route labels and meeting context, not publishing full residential addresses. Treat meeting points as approximate until you share detail in chat.

Question 11

When is my card authorised vs actually charged?

Accepted Answer

Many bookings use Stripe manual capture: Checkout may show a pending authorisation (hold) until the trip is completed in the app and capture runs. If cancelled before capture, the hold is typically released (timing depends on your bank).

Question 12

Refunds: what does policy cover vs platform vs driver disputes?

Accepted Answer

CrownHop's Refunds policy covers incomplete Checkout, authorisation timing, trip cancellation after payment, and card disputes via Stripe. Interpersonal disagreements should start with help@crownhop.com.

Question 13

Is this legal? What about tax, cost sharing, and P-endorsement?

Accepted Answer

CrownHop is designed for New Zealand private carpooling and cost sharing, not commercial passenger services. Drivers must not charge above the facilitated cost-sharing model in our Terms ($0.73/km split among driver and booked passengers) and must travel for their own purposes. A platform service contribution may apply to passengers (not profit paid to the driver). Whether you need a P-endorsement or Small Passenger Service licence depends on how you use your vehicle. NZTA rules apply; this is not a legal opinion. Tax, GST and licensing are fact-specific — get professional advice if unsure. General information only — not legal, tax, or transport licensing advice. See our Terms and consult NZTA or a qualified adviser for your situation.

Question 14

When can reviews be left? Are they mutual? Do low scores hide me?

Accepted Answer

After a completed booking, passenger and driver can review each other for that trip. Reviews are stored for the parties involved; low scores do not today automatically hide trips from search.

Question 15

How do I report someone? Is there blocking?

Accepted Answer

Use the in-chat Report button for trust and safety issues. There is no user block list today. Email help@crownhop.com for safety concerns; call NZ Police on 111 in an emergency.

Question 16

How does CrownHop approach safety—and what does "community-run" mean?

Accepted Answer

CrownHop is a community-oriented NZ carpool project for people sharing rides they are already taking. Safety measures include driver licence review, Stripe identity verification for passengers and drivers, in-app messaging, mutual reviews, reporting, and optional emergency contacts. Users share responsibility for their own judgement on the day.

Question 17

How do I get around Queenstown, Wanaka and Central Otago without a car?

Accepted Answer

Options include scheduled buses and tourism shuttles (timetables vary by season), taxis and ride-hail in busier centres, and facilitated carpooling on CrownHop where drivers list trips they are already taking and passengers book spare seats at the facilitated cost-sharing rate. See our Queenstown–Wanaka transport guide for corridor detail.

Question 18

Can I use CrownHop instead of a bus for transport in Otago?

Accepted Answer

Yes — many people use CrownHop when a bus does not match their timing or stop. CrownHop is a carpool app where drivers list trips they are already making; it is not a replacement for every public transport route. Search Find a ride or post a ride request if nothing is listed yet.

Question 19

How does splitting fuel and running costs work on CrownHop?

Accepted Answer

CrownHop splits trip running cost at $0.73/km, divided equally among the driver and passengers who book. Each passenger pays their share plus a capped service contribution to CrownHop. The facilitated cost-sharing rate shown is for private carpooling on CrownHop. Not legal or tax advice.

Question 20

How does the CrownHop rideshare app work in New Zealand?

Accepted Answer

CrownHop is a NZ carpool and cost-sharing app focused on Central Otago and nationwide routes. Passengers search and book spare seats; verified drivers list trips they are already taking. Community ride requests let passengers post open needs for drivers to accept. Pricing is explained at crownhop.com/cost-sharing.

Question 21

How much could I save commuting Queenstown to Wanaka every day with CrownHop?

Accepted Answer

Illustrative weekday return commute (~70 km each way, 22 working days, $0.73/km split between driver and two passengers): a passenger might pay roughly $45 return per day including service contribution and GST, versus substantially more driving solo or using taxis.

Question 22

I thought a trip or request would show up—why does it sometimes not appear?

Accepted Answer

Only active listed trips appear in Search. Only open ride requests appear on the Trip requests board; accepted requests leave the open list. Email support with route and time if something still seems missing.

FAQ