How Pierce Transit collects information about you

Pierce Transit collects information in a number of ways depending on how you interact with our website and your privacy settings.

We Collect Information:

• Directly from you when you provide it to us.
• Automatically as you navigate through the Website. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and Information collected through cookies.
• From third parties.
• Through Google Analytics.

Information You Provide to Pierce Transit.

The Information we collect on or through our Website from you may include:

• Information that you provide by filling in forms on our Website. This includes Information provided at the time of subscribing to services, or requesting services. We may also ask you for Information when you enter a contest or promotion sponsored by us, and when you report a problem with our Website.
• Records and copies of your correspondence (including email addresses), if you contact us.
• Your responses to surveys that we might ask you to complete for research purposes.
• Details of transactions you carry out through our Website.
• Your search queries on the Website.
• If you are accessing a feature from a mobile device or mobile application, you may be asked to share your precise (GPS level) geo-location Information with us so we can customize your experience. Feature examples include the Trip Planner and Real-Time Arrivals on mobile. This Information is anonymous and not personally identifiable. We use this geo-location Information to inform marketing campaigns, Website content and usability as well as service planning.

Information Automatically Collected From You.

The Information that Pierce Transit may automatically collect and store about you when you visit the Website may include:

• The Internet Protocol Address and domain name used. The Internet Protocol address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer. We use the Internet Protocol Address to direct Internet traffic to you. This address can be translated to determine the domain name of your service provider (e.g. xcompany.com or yourschool.edu);
• The type of browser and operating system you used;
• The date and time you visited this Website;
• The web pages or services you accessed at this Website; and
• The website you visited prior to coming to this Website.
• Cookies, which are small text files that a web server (such as Pierce Transit’s or its chosen web hosting company server) places on a user’s computer. When accessing a cookie, Pierce Transit’s server reads a number associated with a browser, but is unable to determine any data about a user. With that number, our web server can tailor its content to the needs of the specific browser.

Third Party Information Collection.

Some content or applications on the Website are served by third-parties, including content providers, and application providers. These third parties may use cookies (alone or in conjunction with web beacons or other tracking technologies) to collect Information about you when you use our Website. They may combine this Information with other data about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services. They may use this Information to provide you with interest-based (behavioral) advertising or other targeted content. We do not control these third parties’ tracking technologies or how they may be used. If you have any questions about an advertisement or other targeted content, you should contact the responsible provider directly.

How Pierce Transit Uses the Information It Collects About You

This section describes how we use the information we collect while you visit our website. We use Information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any Personal Information:

• To present our Website and its contents to you.
• To provide you with data, products, or services that you request from us. For example, when you provide your email address with a comment form, we are able to use your email address to respond to your comment or question personally.
• To fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it.
• To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection.
• To notify you about changes to our Website or any products or services we offer or provide though it.
• In any other way we may describe when you provide the Information
• For any other purpose with your consent.

This Information helps us create a better overall experience for Website users. The statistics are compiled into Website traffic reports, which help Pierce Transit understand, anticipate, and respond to user needs. If we learn, for example, of heightened interest in certain aspects of Pierce Transit’s projects, we are likely to highlight that information on the Website home page.