Using tickets

Which data and why

De Lijn processes personal data with the aim of gaining insight into the number of passengers using public transportation through passenger counts; optimizing the transportation offer considering passengers' travel behavior; making the deployment of staff and vehicles more efficient; making travel behavior information available to governments to optimize investments; issuing administrative fines; identifying mitigating circumstances regarding administrative fines; investigating damage cases; investigating technical problems; responding to questions from authoritative bodies such as the police and public prosecutor's office; providing tailored information; and handling passenger complaints.

Depending on the type of ticket you purchase, different personal data is collected when it is activated or validated:

• Subscriptions (applies to both travel with the MOBIB card and Digital Boarding)

  • First name

  • Last name

  • Gender

  • Postal code

  • Date of birth

  • Language

  • Validations

• Contactless EMV media, more information about this ticket can be found in the privacy statement on contactless payments.

• SMS ticket

  • Phone number

• Digital carrier via De Lijn application or website (ticket, day ticket, group ticket, 10-ride card, special tickets with specific conditions, e.g., promo ticket)

  • This ticket is linked to your De Lijn account

  • When you activate a ticket on a digital carrier, and Bluetooth is active, De Lijn can capture trip context data in an anonymous manner. This trip context includes information such as the vehicle, the stop, and the line you are on. De Lijn uses this data exclusively for analytical purposes.

• Digital carrier via the application of an authorized partner or m-provider

  • First name and last name of the passenger or phone number

  • Security code with which the ticket on the digital carrier is identifiable

  • This ticket is linked to your De Lijn account

• Special tickets

  • First name and last name of the passenger

  • Unique security code for identifying the ticket, possibly in the form of a QR code

  • Any additional documents that the passenger must have to use the ticket, e.g., event

When traveling with tickets on paper carriers (electronic card and De Lijn Flex ticket), no personal data is processed.

If you, as a passenger, are unable to validate your subscription at boarding or transferring to a vehicle due to a serious and compelling personal reason that justifies not validating and you have no structural means to rely on a companion or are unable to validate the subscription via an alternative method (e.g., digital boarding), please contact customer service via the contact form.

Source of the data

Ticket information linked to you is provided by you at the time of purchase. Validations are added by De Lijn. These validations are pseudonymized after 72 hours (see further).

Transfer of the data

We can use this data for mutual payments and to detect any technical problems. For interoperable tickets, we may share data with other public transport companies. For SMS tickets, information is exchanged with telecom providers.

The data collected in the context of cEMV tickets is passed on to the payment service providers with whom De Lijn collaborates. More information can be found in the privacy statement about contactless payments.

Retention period of the data

• Validations of subscriptions

  • The raw validation data is retained for a maximum of 72 hours. After this period, this data is pseudonymized and can no longer be directly traced back to the individual;

  • The pseudonymized data is retained for 10 years;

  • A minimal set of personal data used solely in the context of the fine process is retained for a maximum of 6 months.

    • More information about the fine process can be found in the privacy statement on traveler control and fines.

• Digital carrier via De Lijn application or website

  • 500 days after the expiration date of the ticket

• SMS ticket

  • 750 days after the purchase of the ticket

• Digital carrier via the application of an authorized partner or m-provider

  • 750 days after the expiration date of the ticket

• Special tickets

  • 500 days after the expiration date of the ticket