GVB is committed to handling and protecting the personal data of its customers and business relations responsibly. This Privacy Statement describes the manner in which GVB processes the data collected from its travellers and for what purposes GVB uses this data. Most importantly, GVB processes your personal data in compliance with the requirements of the [Dutch] Personal Data Protection Act (Wet bescherming persoonsgegevens (Wbp)).
Responsible party
If you sign an agreement with GVB, for example, because you are buying a GVB annual travel pass, GVB Exploitatie BV is the party responsible for processing your personal data pursuant to the Personal Data Protection Act. The responsible party decides how your personal data is used.
The office address of GVB Exploitatie BV is:
Arlandaweg 100
1043 HP Amsterdam
The Netherlands
The postal address of GVB is:
PO Box 2131 1000 CC Amsterdam
The Netherlands
What data does GVB process?
- Name, address, city, telephone number, e-mail address
- Contact details of employer (if you have an annual travel pass through your employer)
- Annual travel pass and product details, card number, and chip number in the event of a public transport chip card (OV-chipkaart)\
- Bank account number, payment method, debtor data
- Details of complaints, and details of lost and found objects
- Refund details
- Detailed public transport chip card data, i.e. data representing a combination of a place, date and time
For what purpose does GVB use your personal data?
For the execution of agreements, such as the annual travel pass. Agreements may be concluded with individual travellers or with companies (so-called bulk consumption agreements).
For annual travel pass records (such as the calculation, collection and crediting of invoices for annual travel passes or other travel products) and for debtors’ accounts (such as debtor verification for the purpose of order-processing and sales support, or for maintaining contacts with debtors).
For processing and returning lost and found items.
For processing questions and complaints about GVB, and for processing and settling any conflicts between you and GVB.
For market research or for developing new products and services in order to better adapt public transport to travellers’ needs.
Non-identifying data is used for these purposes.
For special offers to travellers or for providing travellers with specific information about the services of GVB.
When does GVB use your personal data?
- If you have an annual travel pass, so that we can send you your annual travel pass and carry out the agreement concluded with you (for example, to send monthly invoices for annual travel passes).
- If you contact our Customer Service Department (via a web form or by e-mail, letter or telephone) so that we can respond.
- If you e-mail the webmaster to give us feedback about our website so that we can inform you of any results of your feedback.
- If you have given us permission to inform you by e-mail about changes in the timetable, or if you request information about specific routes via our e-mail service.
- If you respond to a special offer, survey or contest, so that we can carry out the special offer and announce the winner.
- If you report a lost or found object, so that we can ensure that the lost object is returned to its rightful owner.
- If you request information (by telephone, via the website or by letter), so that we can send you the information requested.
Your personal data is protected
The personal data that GVB has about you is protected by various security measures, varying from physical measures such as a burglar alarms and controlled entry systems to organisational and technical security measures. Random employees and third parties do not have access to your personal data.
Personal data not provided to third parties
GVB will not make your personal data available to third parties for their own (commercial) purposes, nor will your personal data be sold to third parties. In some cases, we are legally required to provide personal data. In such events, we will obviously comply with this legal requirement in accordance with the provisions of the [Dutch] Personal Data Protection Act.
What are your rights?
As a traveller, you have the right to inspect the personal data that the GVB has on you. You may request GVB to provide you with a written record of your personal data. If you are using a public transport chip card, you may examine your travel data via www.mijnov-chipkaart,nl. If your personal data is incorrect, incomplete or otherwise in conflict with any legal requirement, you may request GVB to correct or delete your personal data and you have the right to block your personal data if you do not wish to receive any information about new products or services. If this is the case, please contact the Customer Service Department of GVB (0900 - 8011, local rate).
Public transport chip card (OV-chipkaart)
The public transport chip card is the new method of payment for all forms of public transport in the Netherlands. This card will replace all of the current transport tickets no later than 1 January 2009. The public transport chip card can be continually recharged with a balance in euros or with specific travel products (annual travel passes, train tickets, etc.).
You can choose between two types of public transport chip cards: a personal card and an anonymous card. Additionally available is a disposable card that is valid for a limited duration or for a specific journey. The disposable card is also anonymous use.
The personal card is a card registered in your name and with your photograph on it. You need this card if you want to make use of ‘personal’ products such as annual travel passes or age-related discounts. If you choose the personal card, you will be registered with the public transport company to which you applied for your public transport chip card and with the issuer of the card, Trans Link Systems B.V. (TLS). You will remain anonymous to all other public transport companies whose transport you may use. You will be registered with another public transport company if you purchase another personal product, such as an annual travel pass, and have that product linked to your public transport chip card.
Party responsible for the public transport chip card
When you apply for a personal public transport chip card, Translink Systems (TLS) in its capacity as card issuer, in addition to GVB, will process your personal data, regardless of whether the public transport chip card carries a public transport product sold by GVB. TLS is therefore also a party responsible for processing personal data. In addition, TLS is responsible for processing all the transactions that you carry out using the public transport chip card, and allows you to block your personal public transport chip card in the event of theft. For more information on the privacy policy of TLS, please refer to the website http://www.public transport chip card.nl/systemwide/privacypolicy. GVB is not responsible for the privacy policy of TLS.
No processing of personal data linked to the personal public transport chip card without a GVB product
GVB will process the personal data of travellers holding a personal card without a GVB product only for the purpose of collecting the card fee. GVB will delete the personal data used for this card immediately after GVB has collected the related card fee.
No processing of public transport chip card travel data for direct-marketing purposes until 2010
Until 2010 GVB will not collect, store or use for direct-marketing purposes any detailed public transport chip card travel data of travellers holding a personal card, such as sending a newsletter (based on individual travel patterns) to inform travellers about GVB services or delivering targeted special offers (based on travel data) to specific categories of annual travel pass holders.
If GVB is going to use direct marketing in the future, GVB will inform you in a timely manner of the measures it will take in order to protect your privacy.
When is personal data linked to public transport chip card travel data?
GVB processes the personal data (including the names, addresses and places of residence) of travellers holding a personal card with a personal product (for example, a monthly annual travel pass) in its Customer Database. The detailed public transport chip card travel data, such as check-in and check-out data, are processed in the Transaction Database. The Customer Database is technically and physically separated from the Transaction Database. In order to protect the privacy of our travellers, these databases can be linked only for special reasons and even then only by duly authorised persons.
The databases can be linked only in the following events:
- If a claim has been filed, linking will be necessary in order to assess the claim.
- If there has been a complaint about a journey, linking will be necessary in order to assess the validity of the claim.
- If data is requisitioned by the police or by court order, linking will be necessary in order to comply with the law and regulations.
- If the personal product purchased by the traveller must be blocked in order to find the correct product sequence number
- In order to inform travellers about new products and services or special offers.
The Internet
The requirements set forth in the [Dutch] Personal Data Protection Act also apply to any data you give us via our website. The following explanation addresses issues that specifically relate to the Internet.
a. Click behaviour
On our website we maintain general data about visitors, such as the pages most frequently visited. This general data is used to continually optimise the website. This general data can also be used to place more specific information on our website for our customers, so that we can continually improve our service. It is important to note that this relates to general data. We will never collect personal data about you via the Internet unless you specifically instruct us to do so, for example, if you request information.
b. Use of cookies
GVB uses temporary cookies. Cookies are small, simple files containing data that are saved on the hard drive of your computer. The cookies do not contain personal data and they are intended to make using our site easier. In your browser you can disable cookies, in which case you will still be able to visit certain parts of our website.
c. Technical security
GVB uses security technology to optimally protect your personal data against unauthorised access or unauthorised use. This protection meets the requirements that apply to us pursuant to the [Dutch] Personal Data Protection Act.
d. Third-party privacy policies
Our website contains links to websites of other organisations. GVB is not responsible for the manner in which those parties handle personal data. We advise you to always familiarise yourself with the privacy policy of those parties or to contact them for a more detailed explanation on how they process and use personal data.
Camera surveillance
One of the measures that GVB takes to improve safety in public transport is camera surveillance. Practice has shown that camera surveillance is an important aid in tracking down and prosecuting offences, handling other violations and locating problems and areas that require cleaning. The cameras are also useful in the service we provide at entrances and in relation to the public transport chip card.
Camera surveillance in vehicles and vessels
Cameras are located near the driver and conductor on all GVB trams, buses and ferries. The camera surveillance in vehicles and vessels is intended to ensure the safety of employees and travellers, and to protect the equipment of GVB. The camera recordings are used only to track down and prosecute persons suspected of committing an offence or a misdemeanour, and to lodge an appeal in the event of injury or material/immaterial damage suffered by employees or travellers due to an offence or a misdemeanour.
The camera recordings are viewed only after occurrence of an incident that GVB intends to report to the police and only if it is expected that the recordings may serve as (supporting) evidence, or if the camera recordings are requisitioned by the police and/or the court. In the event of a police report or a requisitioning order, the camera recordings may be viewed only by employees who have been authorised to do so by the management of GVB. This viewing takes place in a room that is not accessible to any other employees. If the camera recordings are deemed to be of possible use for an investigation to track down and prosecute the offender, authorised employees may produce stills of those camera recordings. Camera recordings not deemed useful will be destroyed immediately. The employees involved are required to observe secrecy.
Camera surveillance in underground stations
Camera surveillance, in addition to human surveillance, is also used in underground stations and at underground stops. This camera surveillance is intended to increase the level of public safety in the stations and at the stops, to prevent unsafe and undesirable behaviour of travellers, and to ensure that the stations are clean and in working order. The camera recordings are used only as evidence in the event of injury or material/immaterial damage suffered by employees or travellers due to an offence or a misdemeanour in order to track down and prosecute the persons suspected of having committed the offence or misdemeanour.
The camera recordings from underground stations and underground stops are viewed by authorised OCC employees 24 hours per day. The camera recordings can be stored for up to 14 days and will then be automatically overwritten.
In the event of an unlawful act or an incident that may require follow-up, the observer in consultation with a supervisor will temporarily freeze the camera recordings to produce a still. Such stills of camera recordings must be examined within 24 hours and only in consultation with a duly authorised GVB employee or the police.
If the camera recordings are deemed useful for an investigation to track down and prosecute an offender, the recordings will be made available only to the police and/or the court if GVB has reported the irregularity or the incident to the police, or if the camera recordings have been requisitioned by the police and/or by court order as supporting evidence.
Questions?
If after reading this information you have any specific questions or comments about our privacy policy, please call our Customer Service Department at 0900 - 8011 (local rate). You may also contact them if you have any questions about the processing of data relating to you, or about any adjustments or additions to or removal of this personal data.