Travelers of two bus lines in Eindhoven can board the bus without checking in and out. A new app makes it possible to install an OV chip card on your phone that automatically checks in and out when you enter and exit the bus. Professors Wijnand IJsselsteijn and Lambèr Royakkers of Eindhoven University of Technology see the conveniences of the new app, but also warn of the dangers. “Creators need to be open about privacy.”
The trial with the digital chip card will be run on the Hermes bus lines 407 (towards Eindhoven Central) and 408 (towards the High Tech Campus) in the near future. For forgetful travelers, it seems like a dream to get on the bus early in the morning or late afternoon without doing anything.
However, the app also raises the question of whether you will just be checked in at one of the buses if you are waiting on the platform for another bus. According to the developer Mobyyou, this is not the case due to two different types of connections.
“The app recognizes a bus when you are on the platform, but you are only actually checked in if you move a certain distance with the bus,” explains Jeroen Pietryga of Mobyyou.
Professor of technology and human behavior Wijnand IJsselsteijn sees the benefits of the app, but understands this practical question. “Gps is quite accurate on meters, so I expect the company to come up with something for that,” says Ijsselsteijn.
“The risk that does play a role with GPS is privacy. Of course you do not want other parties to gain access to the locations of travelers around the station. If that happens, companies can use this for commercial purposes. The makers of the app must therefore be open. about privacy.”
That is one of the reasons why professor of technology and ethics Lambèr Royakkers doubts whether travelers want to use the app. According to him, previous attempts to make an app have already been made, but have been discontinued due to lack of enthusiasm.
“There must be added value to use the app. For example, you must be able to see your balance or previous trips in the app. Privacy can also prevent people from installing the app. I myself have an anonymous chip card so I can travel without data to share,” says Royakkers.
Developer Mobyyou itself indicates that this data is well secured. “Every few minutes, the app is re-encrypted, reducing the chance for hackers to break into someone’s phone, if at all.”
In addition, IJsselsteijn believes it is important that the traditional ways of using public transport remain. “We have to maintain human control. Some people have no money for a telephone or have little or no understanding of all technological developments. In order to exclude anyone, the public transport chip card and debit card payment on the bus should therefore never disappear, I think. “
According to the TU professor, the traditional ways are also important when there are disruptions. “This weekend we saw that things can go wrong in the digital systems of public transport. To prevent the whole of the Netherlands from coming to a standstill again due to a malfunction in the app, the other options must also remain.”