1. Who we are
Arkila is a marketplace. Independent owners list cars and motorcycles, renters book them by the hour, day or week, and Arkila verifies both sides and handles payment.
Arkila is not the owner of the vehicles listed. The rental contract is between the renter and the owner. Arkila provides the platform, verification, payment handling and dispute support described in these terms.
2. Accounts and verification
You must be at least 18 years old and provide accurate information. One person, one account.
Renters
Browsing is open to everyone. Booking is not. Before a renter can request a vehicle, an Arkila administrator must review and approve their driver's licence. A licence covering only one category does not cover the other — a car licence does not permit renting a motorcycle, and vice versa.
Owners
Before a listing can go live, the owner's business details, payout details and vehicle documents (including OR/CR and insurance) must be submitted and approved. Arkila may refuse or revoke approval at its discretion, and will give a reason when it does.
You are responsible for everything done through your account. Tell us immediately if you believe someone else has access to it.
3. Booking a vehicle
A booking passes through fixed stages, each with a deadline:
- Request. The renter selects dates and submits a request. The dates are held from that moment, so nobody else can take them while the owner decides.
- Owner response — 24 hours. The owner accepts or declines. A request that is not answered within 24 hours expires automatically and the dates are released. No charge is made.
- Payment — 60 minutes. Once accepted, the renter has 60 minutes to pay. If payment is not completed in that window the booking expires and the dates are released.
- Confirmed. The vehicle is reserved for the agreed dates.
A vehicle can only be booked for dates it is actually free. Availability shown in the app is indicative; the booking is only reserved once confirmed.
4. Payment, fees and the deposit
Payment is taken through our payment provider's hosted checkout. Arkila never sees or stores your full card number.
The amount shown before you pay is the amount charged. It is made up of:
| Line | Who pays | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rental | Renter | The owner's rate for the period booked |
| Insurance | Renter | ₱150 per day (cars) · ₱50 per day (motorcycles) |
| Service fee | Renter | 5% of the rental |
| Commission | Owner | 15% of the owner's gross, deducted before payout |
| Security deposit | Renter | Set per vehicle · held, not earned |
The security deposit is not a fee. It is held for the duration of the rental and returned in full after the vehicle is returned in the condition it went out in. Deductions are only made for the charges set out in section 6, and each one is itemised on your receipt.
Owners are paid out on Arkila's regular payout cycle, less commission and any amounts under dispute.
5. Pickup, return and condition
Both handover and return are recorded in the app. Each requires six condition photos and a signature from the renter.
These records are the evidence used to settle any later disagreement about damage, fuel or mileage. If you skip them, or if the photos do not show the vehicle clearly, you weaken your own position in a dispute. Take the time to do them properly.
The vehicle must be returned to the agreed place, at the agreed time, in the condition it was collected in, with the same fuel level.
6. Late returns, fuel and damage
Late return
- A grace period of 60 minutes after the agreed return time costs nothing.
- After that, each started hour is charged at 20% of the daily rate.
- Late charges are capped at 1.5× the daily rate for each day late.
Fuel
A vehicle returned with less fuel than it left with is charged per eighth of a tank missing: ₱250 per eighth for cars, ₱60 per eighth for motorcycles.
Damage and mileage
Damage identified at return, and mileage beyond any limit stated on the listing, are charged at cost and deducted from the deposit. Anything beyond the deposit remains payable by the renter.
Every deduction is itemised. If you disagree with one, raise a dispute (section 11) rather than refusing payment.
7. Cancellation and refunds
A renter may cancel a confirmed booking at any time. How much of the rental is refunded depends on how far ahead of pickup you cancel:
| Cancelled | Rental refunded |
|---|---|
| 48 hours or more before pickup | 100% |
| Between 24 and 48 hours before | 50% |
| Less than 24 hours before | 0% |
The security deposit is always returned in full on cancellation, whichever tier applies. It is never treated as a cancellation charge.
If an owner cancels a confirmed booking, the renter is refunded in full — rental, fees and deposit. Owners who cancel repeatedly may have their listings suspended.
Refunds are returned to the original payment method. Card refunds can take several days to appear, depending on the issuing bank.
8. Obligations of vehicle owners
- You must own the vehicle, or be authorised in writing to rent it out.
- Registration (OR/CR) and insurance must be current for the whole rental period.
- The vehicle must be roadworthy, clean and as described in the listing.
- Listing photos must be of the actual vehicle.
- Availability must be kept accurate.
- You must answer requests within the 24-hour window.
- You must hand over and accept return in person, completing the condition record.
9. Obligations of renters
- You must hold a valid licence covering the category you are renting, and it must remain valid throughout.
- You must be the person driving. Do not let anyone else drive the vehicle.
- Obey all traffic laws. Fines, penalties and towing charges incurred during your rental are yours.
- Do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Report any accident, breakdown or theft to the owner and to Arkila immediately.
- Return the vehicle on time, in the same condition, with the same fuel level.
10. Prohibited use
A rented vehicle must not be used to:
- carry passengers or goods for hire, unless the listing expressly allows it;
- race, test, or take part in any competition;
- tow, push or carry loads beyond the manufacturer's limits;
- drive on roads or terrain the vehicle is not suited to;
- sublet or re-rent to anyone else;
- commit any offence, or carry anything unlawful.
Breaching this section ends the rental immediately, voids any insurance cover, and makes the renter liable for all resulting loss.
11. Disputes
Talk to each other first — the in-app chat is the right place, and it keeps a record. Photographs help.
If you cannot agree, either party may raise a dispute with Arkila. We will review the booking, the condition records from both handovers and the conversation between you, and decide how the deposit and any charges are settled. Our decision on the deposit is final as far as the platform is concerned; it does not remove your right to pursue the matter elsewhere.
While a dispute is open the disputed amount is held and not paid out.
12. Your documents and privacy
Verification requires identity documents — a driver's licence for renters, business and vehicle papers for owners. We treat them accordingly:
- They are stored privately and are never served from a public address.
- Links to view them expire within minutes and cannot be shared.
- Every time an administrator opens one, that access is logged.
- An owner reviewing a rental request sees only a masked summary — enough to trust the person in front of them, never enough to reuse the document.
- Licence images from a rejected verification are deleted after 90 days.
Copying, sharing or storing another user's identity document is a breach of these terms and may be an offence.
Our full privacy notice explains what we collect and why.
13. Our role and liability
Arkila verifies documents, holds payment and provides the platform. We are not a party to the rental itself, we do not own or maintain the vehicles, and we cannot guarantee the conduct of any user.
Verification means the documents presented were checked. It is not a warranty of a person's driving, a vehicle's mechanical condition, or the accuracy of everything in a listing.
To the extent the law allows, Arkila's liability arising from any single booking is limited to the platform fees we received on that booking. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
14. Suspension and closure
We may suspend or close an account that breaches these terms, that we reasonably believe is being used fraudulently, or that puts other users at risk. Where we can, we will tell you why.
Suspension does not cancel obligations already incurred: money owed remains owed, and a vehicle already out must still be returned.
15. Changes to these terms
We may revise these terms. The version in force when you book is recorded against that booking and continues to govern it, so a later revision cannot be applied to a rental you already agreed to. Continuing to use Arkila after a revision means you accept it for future bookings.
These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines.
16. Contact
Questions about these terms, or about a specific booking, should go to Arkila support through the app, or by email.
Arkila Supportsupport@arkila.ph