Policy Detail | Caterly

1. Agreement Parties & Acceptance

This Driver & Delivery Partner Agreement (the "Agreement") is between Cater Market ("Cater Market", "we", or "us") and the individual accepting delivery assignments ("Driver", "you"). By completing onboarding, submitting required documents, and confirming you are authorized to act on your own behalf, you accept this Agreement and acknowledge the Cater Market Privacy Policy. Acceptance is recorded with your Driver ID, name, agreement version, and timestamp. A Driver may not accept live delivery assignments until required onboarding, document review, agreement acceptance, and any required background checks are complete.

2. Driver Onboarding & Information

You agree to provide accurate and complete information during onboarding, which may include legal name, email, phone, date of birth or age verification, address, driver's licence number and expiry, vehicle type, make, model, year, licence plate, vehicle registration, insurance provider and policy number, insurance expiry, and a profile photo where required. You must keep this information current and notify Cater Market of material changes. Providing false information may result in immediate suspension.

3. Document Upload & Review

You must upload required documents, which may include your driver's licence, proof of auto or commercial insurance, vehicle registration, and a driver abstract. Document status is tracked as Not Submitted, Submitted, Under Review, Verified, Rejected, or Expired. Uploading a document does not automatically prove regulatory compliance. Cater Market administrators review documents and may request additional information or a clearer copy. Expired legally required documents may prevent you from accepting new deliveries until renewed.

4. Driver Agreement Acceptance

Before activation you must confirm that the information you provided is accurate, that you have read and agree to this Driver & Delivery Partner Agreement, and that you acknowledge the Cater Market Privacy Policy. None of these confirmations are pre-checked by the system. Your acceptance is recorded with your Driver ID, agreement version, date, time, and acceptance status. You may not accept live deliveries until this agreement is accepted and your account is approved.

5. Independent Contractor Status & Worker Classification

This Agreement describes you as an independent contractor. However, worker classification (employee, dependent contractor, or independent contractor) depends on the totality of the working relationship and applicable Ontario and Canadian law, not solely on the label in this Agreement. Cater Market does not represent or warrant that you are legally an independent contractor in all circumstances. Worker classification is a legal determination that may require professional review. You are responsible for your own tax obligations, and Cater Market may be required to report payments made to you under applicable tax law.

6. Commercial Auto & Delivery Insurance

You are responsible for maintaining auto insurance that meets the legal requirements of Ontario and that covers your use of the vehicle for delivery activity. Personal auto insurance may not cover commercial delivery; commercial or business-use coverage may be required. Cater Market does not provide auto insurance and is not responsible for insurance gaps. Proof of insurance may be reviewed and its expiry tracked. You must maintain insurance in force while delivering on the platform.

7. Food Handling & Safe Transport

When transporting food, you must take reasonable care to maintain food safety, including temperature control where applicable, keeping food sealed and protected from contamination, and delivering promptly. You are not responsible for food preparation, but you must not damage, open, or tamper with food packaging. Where applicable food-handling requirements apply, Cater Market may provide guidance but does not certify you in food handling.

8. Driver Dashboard

Cater Market provides a Driver Dashboard with sections including Home, Available Deliveries, Active Delivery, Delivery History, Earnings, Payouts, Ratings and Feedback, Documents, Safety, Disputes, Account, Security, and Support. The dashboard is designed mobile-first because drivers primarily use phones. You are responsible for keeping the app updated and for using it safely (see Safety).

9. Delivery Offers & Acceptance

Before you accept an available delivery, Cater Market shows you information reasonably needed to make an informed decision, which may include pickup and delivery areas, estimated distance and time, pickup time, required delivery time, order size, number of packages where known, special handling, whether the order is a large catering delivery, and estimated driver compensation. Cater Market does not hide material information a driver reasonably needs before accepting. You may accept or decline any delivery offer. Declining does not, by itself, negatively affect your standing.

10. Catering Order Classification

Deliveries are classified as Standard Delivery, Large Catering Delivery, or Special Handling. For large catering orders the dashboard prominently shows the number of packages, approximate order size where available, the scheduled event time, the required delivery time, and special instructions. Large catering deliveries may require a vehicle with sufficient capacity and may offer additional compensation.

11. Delivery Workflow & Statuses

Delivery statuses include Assigned, Accepted, Driver En Route to Restaurant, Arrived at Restaurant, Order Picked Up, En Route to Customer, Arrived, Delivered, Delivery Failed, and Cancelled. Cater Market records a timestamp for every important status change. You must keep the status current and accurate. Marking a delivery as Delivered when it has not been delivered is prohibited and may result in termination and fraud review.

12. Pickup Verification

At restaurant pickup you may verify the order using the order number, pickup confirmation, package count, and an optional PIN or QR code where supported. You should confirm collection before beginning delivery. The pickup checklist is recorded with a timestamp.

13. Proof of Delivery

Cater Market supports configurable proof-of-delivery methods including photo, PIN, customer signature, and delivery confirmation. For high-value catering orders, Cater Market Admin may require stronger delivery verification. Proof of delivery is stored securely with the order. You may not reuse, duplicate, or falsify proof of delivery. Duplicate or recycled proof-of-delivery photos may trigger fraud review.

14. Customer Privacy & Data Minimization

You receive only the information necessary to complete the delivery, such as pickup address, delivery address, and a contact phone, and only for the duration of the active delivery. You must not access, photograph, retain, or share customer payment information, account history, or unnecessary private information. Where technically possible, Cater Market uses masked or proxy communication between you and the customer. After delivery, your access to customer contact and location information is restricted. Retaining customer personal information beyond the delivery is prohibited.

15. Driver Earnings

The Driver Earnings dashboard shows Today's Earnings, Weekly Earnings, Completed Deliveries, Tips, Adjustments, Pending Balance, and Paid Balance. For each delivery the earnings breakdown shows base or delivery compensation, additional disclosed compensation, tip, adjustment, and total earnings. Cater Market does not display fake earnings or simulated payouts as real transactions. Earnings are calculated from completed deliveries and confirmed tips only.

16. Driver Payouts

Payouts are processed through an approved payment provider using Stripe Connect. Payout statuses are Pending, Processing, Paid, Failed, and On Hold. For each payout Cater Market stores the Payout ID, Driver ID, amount, date, payment-provider reference, and status. Cater Market does not display a Paid status until the payment provider confirms the transfer. Cater Market never stores sensitive banking credentials unnecessarily; payout destinations are tokenized by the provider.

17. Tips

Customer tips are tracked separately from delivery pay. For each tipped delivery Cater Market stores the order ID, Driver ID, tip amount, and payment status. Tips are displayed transparently in Driver Earnings and are included in your available balance and payouts.

18. Delivery Issue Reporting

During an active delivery you may report a problem. Supported categories include Restaurant Delay, Restaurant Closed, Order Not Ready, Incorrect Pickup, Customer Unavailable, Incorrect Address, Unsafe Location, Order Damaged, Vehicle Problem, Accident or Emergency, Cannot Complete Delivery, and Other. You may add a description and upload photos where appropriate, and the issue may be escalated to Support. Reporting a problem does not, by itself, negatively affect your standing when made in good faith.

19. Customer Unavailable Workflow

If the customer cannot be located, you must follow the structured process: attempt approved customer contact, record each contact attempt, start any waiting process Cater Market establishes, contact Support, and follow authorized next steps. You may not arbitrarily mark an order as Delivered when the customer cannot be located. Cater Market records contact attempts and authorized next steps.

20. Delivery Disputes

If a delivery complaint affects you, the Driver Disputes dashboard shows appropriate details and lets you submit an explanation, photos, and relevant evidence. For each dispute an admin may classify responsibility as Driver Responsible, Restaurant Responsible, Customer Responsible, Cater Market Responsible, Shared Responsibility, or No Fault Determined. Cater Market does not automatically assign financial responsibility to the driver. Every responsibility decision is documented with a reason and recorded in the audit log. If delivery responsibility is assigned, the approved amount may be deducted from your earnings or reversed where contractually and legally permitted, and you may dispute the decision.

21. Driver Safety

The Driver Safety dashboard provides emergency guidance and lets you report a safety incident, report a customer, report a restaurant, and report an accident. You must obey all traffic laws. You should not interact with the app unsafely while driving. You are not expected to speed or drive dangerously to meet delivery times, and Cater Market does not incentivize unsafe driving. If you feel unsafe, do not complete the delivery; report it instead. In an emergency, contact emergency services first, then report the incident.

22. Document Expiration

Cater Market tracks expiration dates for applicable documents including your driver's licence, insurance, and vehicle registration. Cater Market sends advance notifications before expiration. If a legally required document expires, you may be prevented from accepting new deliveries until it is renewed and re-verified.

23. Driver Account Security

You are responsible for safeguarding your account. Cater Market supports secure password management, password reset, two-factor authentication where supported, new-device alerts, active session review, sign out of all devices, suspicious activity reporting, and security notifications. Cater Market never stores passwords in plaintext. See the Account Security policy for details. You must not share your account credentials or allow another person to deliver under your account.

24. Fraud Prevention

Cater Market may detect and flag suspicious activity such as impossible delivery patterns, repeated false completion, duplicate proof-of-delivery, account sharing indicators, payment manipulation, and repeated unexplained missing orders. A flag creates a case for review with evidence and does not automatically terminate your account. The process is Flag, Review, Evidence, Admin Decision, and Appeal or Response where appropriate. Cater Market does not terminate a driver solely because an automated system flagged something; a human reviews and decides.

25. Admin Driver Management

Cater Market administrators may view your account status, verification status, documents, active and completed deliveries, cancellation and failure rate, customer reports, earnings, payout status, disputes, and safety incidents. Authorized admins may approve onboarding, request documents, pause, suspend, restore, or terminate your account. Serious account actions require a documented reason and are recorded in the audit log.

26. Role-Based Security & Access

Driver data is accessible only to authorized Cater Market personnel. Admin roles include Support, Safety, Finance, Admin, and Super Admin. Finance personnel do not automatically receive unrestricted access to unrelated private driver information. Access is scoped by role and by the minimum information needed for the function.

27. Audit Log

Cater Market records important actions including driver approval, agreement acceptance, document verification, delivery status changes, proof of delivery, payment adjustments, payouts, complaints, dispute decisions, suspensions, account restoration, and termination. Audit records are not editable by ordinary users, including drivers.

28. Privacy & Account Closure

Drivers are integrated into Cater Market's Privacy Policy and privacy controls. You may view your account information, correct eligible information, manage marketing preferences, request privacy access, and request account closure or deletion subject to lawful retention requirements. Cater Market does not delete transaction, safety, tax, dispute, or other records it is legally required or permitted to retain. Account closure does not erase required records.

29. Agreement Versioning

Cater Market maintains all historical versions of this Agreement. If a material update requires acceptance, Cater Market notifies you, shows the updated agreement, requires acceptance, and records the new version and timestamp. Cater Market never overwrites historical acceptance records. Continued delivery after a non-material update constitutes acceptance.

30. Restaurant & Customer Integration

Restaurant dashboards show appropriate delivery information such as driver assigned, pickup status, and expected pickup, without exposing unnecessary private driver information. Customer order tracking shows appropriate statuses including Restaurant Preparing, Driver Assigned, Picked Up, On the Way, Arriving, and Delivered. Where location tracking is implemented, it is used only with appropriate permissions, disclosures, security, and privacy controls.

31. Changes to This Agreement

Cater Market may update this Agreement. Material changes will prompt a renewed acceptance where required. You will be notified of material changes with the new effective date and what changed.

32. Governing Law

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. Disputes will be resolved in the courts of Ontario where permitted.

33. Legal Review Notice

This Agreement addresses worker classification, commercial auto and delivery insurance, food-handling requirements, privacy and location tracking, tax reporting, background checks, electronic agreements, payment and payout regulations, accessibility, and consumer protection. These are legal and regulatory areas that may require professional review under applicable Ontario and Canadian law. This Agreement does not constitute legal advice and does not by itself determine your legal status or obligations.

34. Contact

For questions about this Agreement, contact Cater Market support through the in-app Help Center.