Drive with Gosaath: the Captain app, step by step.

About the Gosaath Captain app

Gosaath Captain is a separate Android app for captains (drivers and riders) and for vehicle owners who rent out their vehicles. The passenger app is a different app. You sign in to both with the same mobile number.

Captains are independent. You choose when to go online, which requests to accept and which trips to offer. Gosaath is a technology platform that connects you with passengers and renters; it does not own vehicles or employ captains. You are responsible for your licence, your vehicle's papers, your driving and your passengers. Read the Captain Terms & Responsibilities.

The app has five bottom tabs: Home (Quick Rides), Long Rides, Rentals, Earnings and Profile. The open tab has a purple bold label on a soft purple pill; the others are grey. Ride requests and the trip screen appear over every tab.

When you type, the app uses its own keypads, not the phone's keyboard. The number pad has 0 to 9, a "⌄" key to hide it and a "⌫" key (hold to clear). The letter pad has A to Z, space, "⌫", "⌄" and a wide action key such as Done, Search or Send.

Sign in

The sign-in pages show a moving street scene, the line "Drive with Gosaath, Earn on your time." and a white Gosaath logo pill with a yellow Captain tag.

One phone at a time: if your account is opened on another phone, this one is signed out with the notice "Signed in on another phone" and a purple Sign in again button. If Gosaath blocks an account, the app shows "Account blocked" with an OK button; contact support.

Permission setup: "Set up Gosaath Captain"

After sign-in, the app walks you through a few phone settings "so ride requests reach you on time, even when your phone is locked or the app is closed". A progress rail at the top shows each step: green = done, breathing purple = the current step, amber = skipped, lilac = still to do. Tap a segment to jump to it. Steps that are already on are ticked and skipped by themselves.

Each step shows a drawing, "STEP n OF total", the reason, and a WHAT TO DO card with numbered steps and a small moving switch showing which way to slide it ("Tap …", "Switch ON …", "Switch OFF …" in red, "Tap Allow on the pop-up", "Come back to Gosaath Captain"). The purple main button opens the right Settings page and shows "Checking…" while you are there. When the step turns on you see a big green tick and a green Done pill. If you come back and it is still off, red text says "Not done yet. Follow the steps above, then come back."

On an iPhone only Notifications and Location are asked. The app does not ask for SMS permission, contacts or "Allow all the time" location.

The last screen, "You're all set", lists every step with a green tick or an amber "Skipped". Tap Go to Home. You can open the setup again any time from Profile, then Permissions. If a required setting is switched off later, the app takes you back to setup, and Home shows an amber card "Finish setup to get ride requests" with the number left.

Fixing "Gosaath Captain was closed"

If you were online and Android stopped the app, or you swiped it away from recent apps, you may see an amber-bordered card on Home when you open it again:

How to stop it happening

1. Do not swipe Gosaath Captain away from the recent apps list while you are online. Press Home instead.
2. Battery: Settings, Apps, Gosaath Captain, App battery usage, Unrestricted (step 4).
3. Autostart on, on phones that have it (step 5).
4. Background data allowed, even with Data Saver (step 6).
5. Keep the "You're online" notification; it is how Android knows the app is working.
6. Turn off any "phone cleaner" or battery saver app that closes other apps.

Vehicle & documents (verification)

You can take rides only after Gosaath's team approves your documents and vehicle, usually within 24 to 48 hours. Open Vehicle & documents from Home or Profile.

The page

What you are asked for

1. Your live photo with the front camera only (no gallery). Keep your face in the circle, in good light, with no cap, helmet or dark glasses. It becomes your profile photo; passengers see it at pickup. "Looks great!" in green when it is clear. Our server compares it with the photos on your licence and Aadhaar and shows our team how closely they match (a percentage), so use your own face and good light.
2. Driving licence, front (the side with your photo and name) and back.
3. Licence number, typed exactly as printed (for example AP03 20190001234). The app may suggest the number it read from the card.
4. Vehicle RC, front (vehicle number and owner's name) and back.
5. Vehicle number, as on your RC and number plate (for example AP 03 AB 1234).
6. Aadhaar card, front (photo, name and date of birth) and back (address).
7. For an auto or car only: the vehicle model (chips such as Bajaj RE, Piaggio Ape, Maruti Dzire) and one to three photos of the vehicle (front, side, back), with the number plate clearly visible in at least one.
8. Check and send: each row shows "Looks good" (green) or "Our team will check this by hand" (amber), with a Change pill. Tick the box "I confirm that these are my own, original documents and that I am responsible for my vehicle and my passengers", then tap Send for verification.

Card photos: place the card on a flat surface in good light, the whole card in the photo, no shine or glare. Use the purple Take photo or the white Gallery. A bike needs no model or vehicle photos. A second vehicle reuses your verified photo, licence and Aadhaar, so only that vehicle's documents are needed.

Checks the app does on your phone

• It reads the cards to check that you photographed the right card and the right side, and that the photo is clear. For Aadhaar, only the last 4 digits of the number are read and sent as text; the card images are sent for the team's check.
• It checks that the name on your licence, RC and Aadhaar matches your profile name, and shows "Name matches" or an amber card. If your name is simply written differently, tap Send anyway; the team checks it by hand.
• An amber "Retake" card appears for the wrong card, the wrong side or an unclear photo, with a purple Retake and Keep this photo or Send anyway.
• These checks only help you. Only Gosaath's team approves documents.

Your licence class decides your vehicles

If your licence does not show the class for the vehicle you chose, the app says so ("Your licence shows …, which doesn't cover …"). If the class is there but was read wrongly, tap Send anyway and the team checks by hand. Once approved, vehicles not covered show "Not on licence". If you get a new licence with a new class, add it with that vehicle's documents; your other vehicles keep working.

Changing documents later

You can update any document at any time (for example a renewed licence or RC). Your verified documents stay active while the team checks the new ones, so you can keep taking rides. When the new set is approved it replaces the old one; the old set is kept for 30 days and then deleted. If the update is not accepted, your old verified set stays in use.

Home and going online

Going online is a slide, not a tap

The Go online switch is a wide lavender track with a white round knob holding a purple scooter and the purple words "Go online" with arrows. Slide the knob all the way to the right. The track fills green and the knob shows a spinner while the app checks. A tap alone only makes the scooter hop.

Before you go online:

• If a setup step is off, the setup opens.
• If your documents are not approved, a pop-up "Verify your documents first" offers a purple Add documents (or Vehicle & documents while under review) and a grey Later.
• If only a car is approved: "Quick Rides are for Bike and Auto. Your car is verified for Long Rides."
• If both bike and auto are approved: "Which vehicle are you riding now?" Choose a card; it turns purple "Riding" with a tick. Requests come for that vehicle only.

The "Going online" check

A sheet with a pulsing purple power badge checks four things, each with a spinner, a green tick or a red cross: Phone set up, Internet, Your location ("Accurate to N m") and Gosaath server ("Connected").

When everything is ready: "You're online!" and the sheet closes.

While you are online

The Quick Ride request card

While you are online and verified, a new request slides up over any screen on a dim purple background. It rings your chosen tone in a loop at full alarm volume, even on silent, and vibrates if vibration is on. If the phone is locked or the app is in the background, the app comes to the front, with a notification "New ride request · ₹fare".

Short notes appear for a moment if the request closes: "Another captain took this ride", "This ride went to another captain" or "The passenger cancelled". While you are on a Quick Ride trip, new requests are declined for you.

The trip screen

The map works like a navigation app. It zooms in close, keeps you a little below the middle of the screen and turns so the road ahead always points up. The road the passenger booked is a glossy purple line (the part already driven turns grey); before pickup, the road to the pickup is drawn too. You are shown as your own vehicle seen from above (bike, scooty, auto or car) with a soft beam showing the way you face, moving smoothly along the road. The pickup is a green pin and the drop a purple flag.

Start code

Ask the passenger for the 4-digit start code shown in their app and type it on the number pad. It checks on the fourth digit. Right: a green wave, a chime and "Code correct · trip started". Wrong: red boxes, a shake and "That code is not right. Ask again." The trip cannot start without the right code. Start only when the passenger is with you and has checked your vehicle.

Collect cash and complete

Cancel only if you really cannot do the trip; the passenger is told and can book another captain. Repeated cancellations and no-shows may lead to limits on your account.

The Long Rides tab

"Town to town. Share your empty seats." Long Rides need an approved bike or car. The chats button (white square with purple bubbles, a red badge for unread) is at the top right.

Dashboard

Offering a ride (5 pages)

1. "Where are you going?" FROM and TO (each opens a place search; FROM offers "Your current location"), a lilac swap button and up to 3 stops on the way (dashed lilac "⊕ Add a stop"). A green note shows the distance; a red note says if the places are too close or in the same service area.
2. "Pick your road": tap one of the roads on the map. The chosen road is glossy purple with a ✓ tag; others are soft blue. Optional.
3. "When do you leave?": a day chip (today or the next 30 days; the chosen one is solid purple), then Morning, Afternoon, Evening or Night and a time chip every 30 minutes. Times that have passed are faded. All times are India time.
4. "Your vehicle and seats": Bike (1 seat) or Car (1, 2, 3, 4 or 7 seats; 4 is chosen first), each with a chip Approved (green), Paused (yellow) or 🔒 Not approved (grey). Optional vehicle colour chips. The model and plate come from your approved documents.
5. "Price per seat": lilac − and + buttons around the big price, a slider between the minimum and maximum for this trip, and a ✨ Use ₹… button for the suggested price. A red message shows if you go outside the range. The review card reminds you: passengers see your first name, vehicle, seats and price, never your phone number. You call them.

Bottom bar: a white ← Back and the purple Next →, then ✓ Post my ride. Leaving early asks "Leave without posting?" with a purple Keep going and a red-outline Leave. When posted: "Your ride is live!", the ride ID (LR-…), a purple Share ride and a lilac See my rides.

My rides and seat requests

A passenger's details (name, phone number, seats, pickup and the names of people travelling with them) are shared with you only for that ride. Do not save, copy or share them, or use them for anything else.

Requests board (passengers' requests)

"Call the passenger to fix the pickup spot, then accept." Each card shows the passenger's name, the time posted, a yellow "Long ride" chip, the route, chips for the day, seats, vehicle wanted and distance, their note, and an ID (LQ-…).

Chats and calling

• Chats list "Passengers of your Long Rides". Your bubbles are purple, the passenger's white. Quick replies such as "I will call you soon." send at once. Long-press your own message to delete it ("It is removed for both of you"); Gosaath keeps a copy for safety.
• You call passengers; passengers cannot call you. Your phone number is never shown to Long Rides passengers. Use passengers' numbers only for that ride.
• Chats are monitored by Gosaath for safety and are deleted some days after the ride ends.

The Rentals tab (vehicle owners)

"Earn from your vehicle when it sits idle." The solid purple + Add button lists a vehicle. The dashboard shows a purple TOTAL INCOME card (This month | All time) and tiles: Vehicles, Available now (green), Under review (amber), Being removed (grey), Waiting (yellow when above 0), Accepted (green) and Requests this month.

Owner profile (made once)

Listing a vehicle (8 steps)

1. Type: Bike, Scooty or Car (picture cards; the chosen one has a purple check).
2. Photos: at least 4, up to 8, from the Camera or Gallery. The first has a yellow "★ Cover" tag; tap another photo to make it the cover; a red ✕ removes one. Tip: front, back, both sides and the speedometer.
3. Number plate & RC: type the plate as painted (for example AP 39 AB 1234), take a photo of the plate straight on, and photos of the RC front and back. The RC must be of this vehicle: the same number as the plate. A clear match shows green borders and ticks. A plate or RC showing a different number is refused, and you must retake or fix the number. If the photo is just unclear, you can tap Let Gosaath check it by hand. Only you and Gosaath see these papers.
4. About the vehicle: make (chips such as Hero, Honda, Bajaj, TVS, Maruti Suzuki), model (required), model year, condition (Excellent / Good / Average) and a few words.
5. Set your rent: the rental time for one rental, from 1 to 24 hours (10 hours unless you change it), with − and +; the rent for that time; free km (optional) and the charge for each extra km (optional). A preview shows what renters see, such as "₹399 / 10 hrs".
6. When can renters take it? (the weekly availability, below).
7. Where is the vehicle? the pickup place; only people near it will see the vehicle.
8. Check and send: a preview card and a row for each part with a pencil to change it. Tick "This vehicle is mine (or I have the owner's written permission), and the number plate, RC and photos are of this vehicle." Tap ✈ Send for review.

"Sent for review!" shows a timeline: Listed, Gosaath review (yellow while waiting), Live for renters. Changing photos or papers later sends the listing for a quick review again; other changes go live at once.

My vehicles

Each live vehicle has an Available for rent switch (green on, grey off), a times row with a purple Change, ✎ Edit and a red 🗑 Remove.

Removing a vehicle (30 days)

Remove opens "Remove (vehicle)?" with a lilac Keep it and a red 🗑 Remove. The vehicle is hidden from renters at once and deleted after 30 days; you can Undo until then. Waiting requests for it are closed. During those 30 days the same plate cannot be listed again, on your account or any other; to list it again, undo the removal. After 30 days the plate is free.

Availability ("When can renters take it?")

Renters can request only start times inside your available times.

Requests from renters

Sections: "Waiting for your answer", "Booked" and "Earlier". Each card shows the renter's name, a status pill (Waiting yellow, Booked green, Declined rose, Cancelled or Expired grey), the request ID (RT-…), the vehicle, From, Until, How long, the rent estimate, free km and the renter's note. An amber timer "⏰ Answer within …" turns red when time is nearly up; after that the request expires.

The renter can call you on the number in your owner profile. You do not get the renter's phone number in the app. The handover checklist: check the original driving licence matches the one in the app, take photos of the vehicle, the km reading and the fuel, and agree the rent and any deposit in writing.

Earnings

Passengers pay you the fare in cash at the drop. These totals are the cash you collected. Gosaath does not hold your money. You are responsible for your own income tax and any other taxes on what you earn.

Help & support tickets

Profile, then Help & support. A purple card "We are here to help" has a purple Raise a ticket button. Keep the ticket ID (TK-…) for calls.

You can also email [email protected] or WhatsApp +91 73370 51857.

Notifications & alerts

Profile, then Notifications & alerts. Ride requests ring at full volume, even when your phone is on silent.

Tap a tone to choose it and hear a preview. The Vibrate switch (purple when on, on by default) buzzes with the sound. The green Test a ride alert button rings for a few seconds, like a real request, and becomes Stop.

"My main work" and Profile

The first time Home opens, and later from Profile, the app asks "What do you do most?" with three picture cards: Quick Rides (short rides in town by bike or auto), Long Rides (town to town, sharing seats) and Rentals (I rent out my bikes, scooters or cars). The chosen card has a purple border and check. Tap Save. It only decides which tab the app opens on.

Profile shows your initials, name, number and a yellow "Gosaath Captain" badge, with rows: Vehicle & documents, My main work, Notifications & alerts, Help & support, Permissions, and a red Sign out (it asks "Sign out of Gosaath Captain on this phone?" with a lilac Cancel and a red Sign out; signing out also takes you offline).

To delete your Gosaath account, use the passenger app (Profile, Account & privacy, Delete my account), the delete account page, or write to support.

Your location and your data

• While you are online, the app shares your location regularly, also when it is in the background, with the "You're online" notification showing. This lets passengers near you find you and lets Gosaath send you nearby requests.
• During a trip, your location is shared more often, even if you went offline. On a Quick Ride the passenger sees you move live on the map, and an SOS from the passenger shares the trip with their emergency contacts.
• When you are offline and not on a trip, your location is not shared.
• Gosaath keeps a history of where captains went while online or on a trip for 24 hours, for safety and to resolve complaints, and then deletes it automatically.
• Your documents are seen only by Gosaath's team. Passengers see your name, live photo, vehicle and number plate. See the Privacy Policy.

What the colours mean

Questions and answers