Privacy Policy

Privacy & Cookie Policy

Who We Are

The City of Cottonwood - Cottonwood Area Transit (CAT) is the public transit system serving the City of Cottonwood, Arizona, and surrounding areas in Yavapai County. To learn more about us, please visit our website at https://cottonwoodaz.gov/161/Cottonwood-Area-Transit.

This Privacy Policy is incorporated by reference into the Cottonwood Area Transit Terms of Use. The term “CAT,” “we,” and “us” refers to the City of Cottonwood - Cottonwood Area Transit and its affiliates.

This Privacy Policy explains how CAT may:

• Collect,

• Use,

• Disclose information we obtain through the “Service.”

The “Service” refers to any website, mobile application, or Internet service under CAT’s control, whether partial or otherwise, in connection with providing CAT’s online platform. Each reservation a user makes with CAT on the Service is a “Reservation,” and each ride taken through a Reservation is a “Ride.” “User” means any individual who uses the Service to make Reservations or take Rides.

What information do we collect?

If you are visiting cottonwoodaz.gov to browse our website, download information, or read pages, we will gather and store certain information about your visit automatically. This information does not identify you personally.

We do not use this data for commercial purposes, nor do we distribute it in any way.

The only information we automatically collect and store is the following information about your visit:

• Fully Qualified Domain Name (Domain Name) of your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or your computer, if it has a domain name specifically assigned to it.

• IP Address (the number automatically assigned to your computer when surfing the web) from which you access our website.

• Browser Type (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).

• Operating System used to access our site (e.g., Windows, macOS, Linux).

• Date and Time, you accessed our site.

• Pages you visited.

• Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the page you came from (e.g., google.com) if you did not access our site by typing in cottonwoodaz.gov.

We use this information to make our site more useful to visitors. Understanding the number of visitors and the types of technologies they use helps us improve our website and services. To achieve these goals, we conduct statistical analyses of the collected data and continually enhance our hardware and software to meet your needs.

Using CAT’s Online Forms: How Voluntarily Provided Information is Used

We collect information from you when you subscribe to our text alerts, apply for transit services, contact us, or use any of our online forms.

If you voluntarily provide information (e.g., by filling out a form requesting information), it will be used for governmental purposes only. These purposes may include, without limitation, responding to your request for information, addressing a concern you raise, or maintaining lists of interested individuals (e.g., prospective vendors or employees). We will not rent or sell information identifying you as an individual (name, address, phone number, etc.) to third parties without your express permission. We will also not disclose payment information, except for purposes related to your transaction, with your permission, or as required by law under Arizona’s Public Records Law.

Any information we collect from you may be used in the following ways:

• To personalize your experience: Your information helps us respond better to your individual needs.

• To improve our website: We strive to enhance our website based on the information and feedback we receive from you.

• To improve customer service: Your information helps us respond more effectively to your customer service requests and support needs.

• To process forms: When using forms on our site, you may be asked to provide your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, or other relevant personal information. Your information, whether public or private, will not be sold, exchanged, transferred, or given to any other entity for any reason without your consent, other than for the express purpose of the form submitted.

• To send email confirmations: The email address you provide in our online forms will only be used to send you information and confirmations. If you wish to have your email address removed from our records, each email includes a “Remove me from your records” link at the bottom.

• To send text alerts: If you opt-in to our text alert list, you will receive alerts that may include service updates, transit news, or related information. To unsubscribe from future text alerts, use the unsubscribe option on our Text Alert subscription page by entering your phone number, selecting “Unsubscribe,” and submitting.

How do we protect your information?

We offer the use of a secure server. All sensitive information provided is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology and encrypted in a database accessible only by authorized personnel with special access rights, who are required to keep the information confidential.

Do we use cookies?

Yes. Cookies are small files that a website transfers to your computer’s hard drive through your web browser (if allowed) to enable the site to recognize your browser and remember certain information.

If you use any forms on our site (e.g., transit service applications, contact forms), your name, email address, and other information may be saved in cookies for your convenience, so you do not need to re-enter details for subsequent forms. These cookies last for one year.

If you are an employee and log in, we set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser. We also set cookies to save your information and screen display preferences, which last for two days, while screen option cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me,” your login will persist for two weeks. Logging out removes these cookies. Employees can see, edit, or delete their personal information in their user profile at any time (except for their username). Website administrators can also view and edit this information.

You can choose to have your computer warn you when a cookie is sent or disable all cookies via your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of some services. You can still contact us by calling 928-634-2287.

Embedded content from other websites

Our site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves as if you visited those sites. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed third-party tracking, and monitor your interactions, including if you have an account and are logged in to those websites.

Do we disclose any information to outside parties?

We do not sell, trade, or transfer your personally identifiable information to outside parties. This does not include trusted third parties who assist in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, provided they agree to keep the information confidential. We may release your information to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect our or others’ rights, property, or safety. Non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.

Third-party links

We may include or offer third-party products or services on our website at our discretion. These third-party sites have independent privacy policies, and we are not responsible or liable for their content or activities. Nonetheless, we aim to protect our site’s integrity and welcome feedback about these sites.

Arizona Privacy Compliance & GDPR Compliance

We value your privacy and have taken steps to comply with Arizona privacy laws, including Arizona’s Public Records Law, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We will not distribute your personal information to outside parties without your consent.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance

We comply with the requirements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Online Privacy Policy Only

This privacy policy applies only to information collected through our website and not to information collected offline.

Your Consent

By using our site, you consent to our privacy policy.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

If we change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page. This policy was last modified on May 29, 2025.