CarReach – Find a Vehicle Owner by Registration Number
CarReach connects people with vehicle owners using nothing more than the registration number on the number plate. Owners register their vehicles in the app; anyone who needs to reach the owner - because the car is blocking a gate, parked in a no-parking zone, has its lights on, has been misplaced or towed, or is involved in a violation or accident - searches the registration number and contacts the owner directly through the app.
Problem Statement
When a parked car blocks someone or something is wrong with it, there is usually no way to reach the owner. People wait, honk, or call the police for small issues, and owners only find out about problems (a violation, damage, a misplaced car) much later. Putting a phone number on the windscreen solves this but exposes personal details to everyone.
Proposed Solution
A registration-number lookup that reveals a way to contact the owner, not their personal details. Phone numbers and emails are masked in the app, the "Call Now" feature connects the caller to the owner's registered number, and owners control how visible their vehicle information is.
Main Features
- Search any registered vehicle by its registration number
- Reach the owner through in-app contact, including a one-tap "Call Now"
- Phone numbers and emails masked - personal contact details are not shown
- Register and manage your own vehicles
- Visibility controls for vehicle and contact information
- Recent search history stored only on the device
- Account management and full self-service account deletion
- Published privacy policy and account-deletion page
System Flow
- A vehicle owner signs up and registers their vehicle's registration number
- Someone notices a problem - blocked access, wrong parking, lights on, a violation or a misplaced car
- They enter the registration number in CarReach
- The app finds the registered owner without revealing their number
- They reach the owner through the app's contact / Call Now feature
- The owner resolves the issue
Challenges & Solutions
Letting strangers contact an owner without exposing the owner's phone number or email.
Masked contact details in the app and routed contact through in-app features, with owner-controlled visibility.
Meeting app-store privacy requirements.
Published a clear privacy policy and an account-deletion flow, kept search history on-device, and committed to never selling user data.
Future Improvements
- In-app messaging and quick preset alerts ("Your lights are on", "You are blocking my car")
- Push notifications to owners
- QR sticker for the windscreen as an alternative to typing the number