OV-Chipcard

The OV-chip card (OV stands for Dutch for public transportation has been developed by Trans Link Systems (TLS) to replace the current public transportation ticketing system consisting of ‘strippenkaarten’ (a paper ticket to be stamped according to the amount of zones to travel), train tickets and weekly, monthly and yearly passes.

Dutch scientists

The chip was hacked faster and with easier tools than anticipated. In search of a long term solution against fraud, TLS has requested the cooperation of scientists of Dutch universities to learn from the developments and scientific research at universities. This cooperation takes the form of a science board. To ensure (scientific) independence, the board is self-governing and appoints its own members and creates its own procedures.

Objectives

The objectives of the board are to provide a platform for information exchange on all subjects that have a bearing on transport ticketing. Typical subjects range from data security through equipment protection to economics of fraud and privacy issues. TLS also provides (sometimes confidential) information on developments regarding its systems and methodologies, so that scientists can reflect on those and can provide feedback. Through this scientists get a head start with studying issues of interest to society, and TLS can learn without having to rely on trial and error only. Both the scientists and public transport profit from this.

Cooperation

The e-transport forum cooperates with the Open Ticketing Institute. This Institute supports the trend in the public transport industry to move towards interoperable e-ticketing systems of na-tional scale with open specifications and standards. They provide the e-transport forum with relevant information concerning the OV-chipkaart and the follow-up technology. One of their goals is to make available this knowledge and experience of the follow-up technology of the Dutch e-ticketing system in public.