Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Cotean mobile application, website and related services (together, the “Platform”).

The Platform is operated by Cotean Mobility Technologies, a company incorporated in Nigeria (“Cotean”, “we”, “us” or “our”).

By creating an account, accessing the Platform, or placing or accepting a booking, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform. Where the law requires a separate affirmative acceptance, we will obtain it through the relevant in-app flow.

These Terms apply to customers and other users. Vehicle rental companies and other suppliers (“Vendors”) may also be required to enter into a separate Merchant Services Agreement. If a Vendor-specific agreement conflicts with these Terms on the commercial relationship between Cotean and that Vendor, the Vendor agreement governs that relationship. These Terms continue to govern the customer’s use of the Platform.

Booking

A request made through the Platform to reserve a listed vehicle and associated rental service for a specified date, time, duration and price.

Customer

A person using the Platform to search for or book a vehicle rental.

Vendor

An independent vehicle rental company or other approved supplier listing rental services on the Platform.

Driver

A driver supplied or assigned by a Vendor for a Booking.

Rental Service

The vehicle rental and any driver or related service described in a listing or booking confirmation.

Booking Details

The listing, price, rental period, pickup and return details, Vendor, cancellation terms and other terms displayed and confirmed for a Booking.

Cotean operates a technology marketplace that enables Customers to discover and request vehicle rental services from independent Vendors. Unless expressly stated otherwise in a particular transaction, Cotean is not the vehicle owner, rental company, employer of a Vendor’s staff or provider of the driving service. The Rental Service is supplied by the Vendor, not by Cotean.

A Vendor may accept or decline a Booking request. A request is not confirmed until the Platform indicates that it has been accepted and confirmed. Cotean may provide booking, payment, messaging, support and dispute-handling tools, but these functions do not by themselves make Cotean the supplier of the Rental Service.

Cotean does not guarantee that every listing, vehicle or Vendor will always be available, suitable or error-free. We take reasonable steps to onboard and review Vendors, but Customers should review listing details and booking terms before paying. Nothing in these Terms excludes any duty or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including applicable consumer-protection rights.

You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding agreement. You must provide accurate, current and complete information when registering and using the Platform. If a Booking or service has a further age, licence, identity or other eligibility requirement, you must meet it.

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials, one-time passwords and transaction PIN confidential, and for activity carried out through your account, except to the extent caused by Cotean’s own breach or as otherwise required by law. Notify us promptly at info@cotean.com if you suspect unauthorised access.

Do not create an account using another person’s identity, provide false information, circumvent verification, or maintain multiple accounts to evade a restriction. We may request information reasonably necessary to verify your identity, prevent fraud, protect users or comply with law.

Listings may include vehicle specifications, photographs and videos, rates, rental duration, pickup arrangements, driver information and Vendor-specific conditions. Vendors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information they provide. Cotean may correct, remove or request clarification of a listing.

The Platform is a pre-booking marketplace. It is not a promise of on-demand vehicle dispatch. Submit a Booking for the date and time you need, and allow the Vendor time to respond. The Vendor may accept or decline it. A vehicle is not reserved until you receive confirmation.

Before confirming, review the total price, rental period, pickup and return arrangements, included services, additional charges, cancellation terms and any restrictions. If the Vendor proposes a material change, including a different vehicle, price, time or service, you will be informed and given an opportunity to accept or reject it. A substitute vehicle is not accepted merely because it is offered.

The price shown at checkout is the amount payable for the selected Booking, including any disclosed taxes, platform fees or other charges. Vendors set the rental rates for their listings, subject to applicable law and Platform rules. Any Cotean fee charged to a Customer is disclosed before the Customer commits to the Booking.

Customers pay for Bookings through the Platform to Cotean, using the payment methods available at checkout. Cotean then settles the Vendor’s payable amount in accordance with the applicable Vendor agreement, the Booking records, any refund or dispute outcome, and the payment provider’s processes. Settlement may be processed manually or through an automated process. A successful Customer payment does not by itself mean the amount has already been settled to the Vendor.

Cotean’s collection of Customer payments, and the later settlement to Vendors, is part of the Platform’s payment and marketplace administration. It does not by itself make Cotean the supplier of the Rental Service. The timing and method of Vendor settlement are governed by the applicable Vendor agreement and Cotean’s operational procedures, subject to applicable law. Payment-provider fees, refunds, reversals, chargebacks and disputed amounts are handled in accordance with the checkout disclosures, the Vendor agreement, the payment provider’s rules, and the cancellation terms shown for the Booking. Cotean does not promise a particular settlement or refund time except where a time is stated in those disclosures or in these Terms.

Do not send payment to a Vendor outside the Platform for a Booking initiated through the Platform unless Cotean expressly authorises that method in writing. We are not responsible for off-platform payments or arrangements, to the extent permitted by law.

You agree to use the Platform lawfully and respectfully, provide accurate booking information, be available at the agreed pickup point and time, comply with reasonable and lawful instructions from the Vendor and Driver, and use the Rental Service only for the agreed purpose.

You must not use a vehicle, or ask a Driver, to do anything unlawful, unsafe, discriminatory or outside the agreed service. You must not damage, misuse or interfere with a vehicle, conceal material booking information, threaten or harass a Vendor or Driver, or attempt to bypass the Platform’s security or payment systems.

Report a material problem with a Booking or vehicle promptly through in-app support or by emailing info@cotean.com. Where the situation requires it, contact the appropriate emergency services. Do not make a false or misleading complaint, or submit fabricated evidence.

Vendors are independent businesses. They are responsible for providing the Rental Service as described in the confirmed Booking. Vendors must maintain all licences, registrations, permits, insurance and authorisations required by applicable law; ensure vehicles are roadworthy, properly maintained and lawfully available for rental; provide accurate listings; disclose material restrictions and charges; and use appropriately qualified and legally authorised Drivers where a driver is included.

Vendors are responsible for their employees, agents, Drivers, vehicles, customer service, compliance and performance of the Rental Service. They must not discriminate unlawfully, misrepresent a vehicle’s condition or availability, substitute a materially different vehicle without the Customer’s agreement, or request an unauthorised off-platform payment.

Cotean may request evidence of identity, company registration, vehicle documents, insurance, licences and other compliance materials. We may suspend or remove a Vendor or listing while we verify a concern or investigate suspected misconduct. A Vendor’s presence on the Platform is not a guarantee, and it is not an insurance certification by Cotean.

A Booking may be cancelled or changed only in accordance with the cancellation terms shown before that Booking is confirmed, these Terms, and applicable law. Any cancellation charge must be reasonable, clearly disclosed and lawful.

If a Vendor declines a Booking, or does not approve it, the Customer is not charged for the Rental Service, because no Booking has been confirmed. If a payment was authorised or collected before the request was declined or expired, Cotean will arrange a cancellation, reversal or refund through the relevant payment process, subject to the payment provider’s rules and applicable law.

For a confirmed Booking cancelled by a Customer or a Vendor, the cancellation terms shown for that Booking, and the circumstances of the cancellation, determine whether a full refund, a partial refund, a credit or another remedy is available. Refund processing times may depend on the payment provider and the receiving financial institution.

Report service failures, vehicle issues, no-shows, damage disputes or suspected fraud promptly, and provide reasonable supporting information. Cotean may request information from the Customer and the Vendor, review the Booking records, and try to facilitate a resolution. That review does not remove a Customer’s statutory rights, and it does not prevent either party from pursuing a remedy available under law.

Check the vehicle and service details at pickup, and raise any apparent safety concern with the Vendor promptly. Do not proceed with a trip if you reasonably believe the vehicle or service is unsafe. For an accident, injury, theft, crime or immediate danger, contact the appropriate emergency or law-enforcement service first, then notify the Vendor and Cotean as soon as reasonably practicable.

Vendors are responsible for maintaining the vehicle and business insurance required by law, and for explaining any material coverage limits, excesses or exclusions that apply to a Rental Service. Cotean does not represent that a particular trip, vehicle, Customer, Vendor or Driver is insured unless that is expressly confirmed in writing. Insurance coverage and claims are determined by the relevant policy and insurer, not by these Terms.

You must not use the Platform for unlawful activity, fraud, money laundering, harassment, threats, discrimination, impersonation, unauthorised data collection, malware, security testing without permission, manipulation of reviews or bookings, or any activity that threatens another person’s safety or the integrity of the Platform.

Where it is reasonably necessary and lawful, Cotean may investigate a suspected violation, request additional information, restrict a feature, cancel or suspend a Booking, remove a listing, suspend or terminate an account, or report suspected unlawful activity to the appropriate authorities. We will act proportionately and, where it is appropriate, give notice and an opportunity to respond. We may act immediately where that is needed to protect users, prevent fraud, preserve evidence or comply with law.

The Platform, including its software, design, branding, text, graphics and other materials owned or licensed by Cotean, is protected by intellectual-property laws. Subject to these Terms, Cotean grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the Platform for its intended purpose. No ownership rights are transferred to you.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, reverse engineer, scrape, sell or commercially exploit the Platform except where applicable law expressly permits it, or where Cotean gives written permission. You retain any rights you have in content you submit. You grant Cotean a non-exclusive licence to host, store, reproduce, display and use that content as reasonably necessary to operate, promote, secure and improve the Platform and provide the services, subject to the Privacy Policy and applicable law. You must have the rights and permissions needed to upload it.

The Platform may rely on third-party payment providers, messaging services, analytics, hosting, maps or other tools. Their services may be subject to separate terms and privacy notices. Cotean is not responsible for an independent third-party service except to the extent responsibility is imposed by applicable law, or arises from Cotean’s own acts or omissions.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Cotean is not responsible for the independent acts or omissions of a Vendor or Driver, the condition or availability of a vehicle, or the actual performance of a Rental Service that Cotean does not itself provide. This does not exclude liability for Cotean’s own negligence, fraud, wilful misconduct, breach of contract, data-protection obligations, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

The Platform is provided subject to reasonable availability and maintenance. We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation. We take reasonable steps to maintain and secure the Platform.

Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies a statutory right or remedy that cannot be excluded. Any limitation of liability is interpreted only to the extent permitted by Nigerian law and applicable consumer-protection requirements. No exclusion in these Terms is intended to excuse a party from an obligation imposed by law.

To the extent permitted by law, a user who breaches these Terms or applicable law may be responsible for the direct losses, claims and reasonable costs caused by that breach. Nothing in this section requires a Customer to indemnify Cotean for losses caused by Cotean’s own negligence, unlawful conduct or breach, and nothing limits a consumer’s statutory rights that cannot be excluded. Where a Merchant Services Agreement applies, Vendor indemnities, insurance obligations and the allocation of operational risks are set out in that agreement.

Cotean processes personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law, including the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 where it applies. The Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, why we process it, how we share and retain it, and how you can exercise your rights.

We may update or discontinue features, or amend these Terms, where that is reasonably necessary for legal, security, operational or product reasons. We will give notice of a material change by an appropriate means and, where the law requires it, obtain renewed acceptance. The revised Terms will state their effective date. A change will not retrospectively remove a right that has already accrued, and it will not override mandatory law.

You may stop using the Platform at any time. To close your account, use the account settings in the app or email info@cotean.com. We may need to keep certain records for legal, accounting, fraud-prevention, dispute-resolution or other lawful purposes, as explained in the Privacy Policy. Cotean may suspend or terminate access for a material breach, a safety concern, a fraud risk or a legal requirement. A confirmed Booking, and any outstanding payment or dispute, will be handled under the applicable terms and the law.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Please raise a complaint first through in-app support or by emailing info@cotean.com. Doing so does not prevent you from approaching a competent regulator, court or other forum, or from exercising a statutory right.

If any provision is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to apply to the extent possible. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it. You may not transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without Cotean’s consent. Cotean may transfer its rights and obligations as part of a lawful reorganisation or business transfer, subject to applicable law and any required notice. These Terms, together with the policies and Booking-specific terms expressly incorporated into them, govern use of the Platform. They do not displace a separate agreement that applies to a Vendor.