The Terms. The whole talk.

1. Who we are, and who we are not

"I run the app. I do not hold the wrench."

RoadsideOtto ("Otto," "we," "us") is a technology platform that connects people who need roadside assistance ("riders") with nearby independent service providers ("providers," or as we insist on calling them, "heroes"). We provide the marketplace, the pricing engine, the dispatch, the tracking, and the otter. We do not perform roadside services, employ providers, or supervise the work. Providers are independent contractors acting on their own behalf.

2. Who the heroes are

"Regular people. Like you, but currently holding cables."

Most providers are ordinary, background-checked people with practical experience and a genuine desire to help. Unless a profile explicitly says otherwise, they are not licensed mechanics, master technicians, or wizards. They complete OttoUniversity safety training and per-service certification before going online, and they commit to a good-faith, best-effort attempt to resolve your issue and get you on your way.

Every car is different. Sometimes the correct fix requires tools, parts, diagnostic equipment, or professional facilities beyond what any roadside visit could reasonably carry. When that happens, your hero will tell you straight, and the app will help you arrange the next step (usually a tow).

Towing and locksmith services are partner-fulfilled. Otto does not tow vehicles or pick locks; we connect you with vetted professional tow and locksmith companies. Partners keep 100% of their service and connection fees; Otto charges only a dispatch fee for making the match quickly.

3. Assumption of risk

"The roadside is the roadside. Please be smart out there."

You use RoadsideOtto at your own risk. Roadside environments are inherently hazardous: traffic, weather, poor visibility, and vehicles in unknown mechanical condition. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, neither RoadsideOtto nor any provider is responsible for:

1. conditions that existed in or on your vehicle before the service visit (worn batteries, corroded terminals, damaged wheels, stripped lugs, weak spares, mystery leaks, and other pre-existing drama);
2. events occurring while you wait for, or after completion of, a service visit, including weather, traffic, third parties, or the vehicle continuing to be a vehicle;
3. ordinary and reasonable incidental effects of performing the exact service you requested (a jack has to touch the frame; cables have to touch the battery).

This section is not a permission slip for carelessness: it does not waive liability for gross negligence, willful misconduct, or anything else the law says cannot be waived.

4. You pay for the service performed

"The jump start worked. Your alternator is a separate tragedy."

Your price is built from your answers to the qualifying questions, shown line by line before you book. When the requested service is performed, payment is due, even when the service does not cure the underlying problem. In plain terms:

1. You request a jump start, the engine starts, and it later dies because the actual villain was the alternator: you owe for the jump start.
2. You request a tire change and attest you have a usable spare, but your spare is flat, dry-rotted, or imaginary: you owe for the tire change work performed, and the app will help you convert to a tow.
3. You order gasoline and the truth was diesel: you owe for the fuel and the delivery.
4. A provider arrives ready and able and you cancel at the curb: you owe the callout.

Answers you give at booking (spare condition, fuel type, battery location, drivetrain, and similar) are attestations. Incorrect attestations do not create refunds; they create tows, upcharges agreed in-app, or both.

5. When you do NOT pay

"If our hero fumbles it, your wallet stays shut."

You owe nothing when the accepted service cannot be completed because of the provider's own inability or unpreparedness, including:

1. a jump box or battery pack without enough charge to do the job it was brought for;
2. missing tools or equipment the provider confirmed having when they accepted the request;
3. a provider no-show or provider-initiated cancellation;
4. a provider attempting a service they were not certified for.

Report it in the app; any hold is released, dispatch re-rings the network, and the provider answers to Otto, who will be making the disappointed face the entire time.

6. Your promises to us

"Tell the truth. It is cheaper."

1. You are 18 or older and legally able to enter this agreement.
2. The vehicle is yours to service, or you have the owner's authority.
3. You confirm the vehicle carries valid registration and insurance. We do not verify these documents; your confirmation is an attestation attached to your account and to each request.
4. Your booking answers are accurate to the best of your knowledge.
5. You will not use the platform for anything unlawful, and you will treat providers like the humans they are.

7. Safety rules

"No job is worth a traffic lane."

Move to the safest available location, hazards on, and stay clear of active lanes while you wait. Follow your hero's scene-safety directions during service. Providers may pause or decline any job that is unsafe; an unsafe scene never entitles a refund for work already performed. If anyone is in immediate danger, including a child or pet locked in a vehicle, call 911 first. Then call us. We will hustle either way.

8. Money mechanics

"Flat $6.99 plus 15%. Heroes keep the rest. That is the whole trick."

Every quote is line items: base callout, adjustments from your answers, estimated consumables (reimbursed to the provider at receipt cost, settled at completion), and our flat $6.99 platform fee. Otto's total take is the flat fee plus 15% of the service subtotal. The optional $19.99 rush fee is split with your hero ($10.00 to them). Tips are 100% the provider's. During beta, payment processing is simulated and no money moves; when live payments launch, our payment partner's terms will be presented before your first charged request.

9. Providers: your side of the deal

"Show up ready, or do not accept the ping."

Heroes agree to: accept only services they are certified for and equipped to perform right now; confirm the equipment checklist honestly before accepting; make a good-faith, best-effort attempt on every job; follow scene-safety rules; and complete jobs personally (no subcontracting the wink). Arriving unprepared for an accepted job forfeits the payout for that job. Independent-contractor status means you control your schedule, your gear, and your hamburger acceptance policy.

10. Disputes, changes, and the rest

"Lawyers will polish this. The spirit will not change."

Take disputes to in-app support first; we review the request record (including your booking attestations and the per-request disclaimer stamp) and make refund decisions in good faith. We may update these terms; when we do, the version number changes and the app asks everyone to accept again before their next request. If any clause is found unenforceable, the rest stays standing. This document will be replaced by an attorney-reviewed version before general availability.

Questions, disputes, or extremely specific hamburger logistics: hello@roadsideotto.com · (202) 725-9090.