“Meet the People of Aptitude” introduces the experts and innovators working behind the Aptitude project, one of Europe’s large-scale pilots testing the European Digital Identity Wallet in real-life conditions.
In this interview, we meet Panos Louridas, who leads Tickets and Check-in at Aptitude. The Tickets and Check-in team’s work focuses on making the European Digital Identity Wallet a practical tool for everyday travel and mobility across Europe. The wallet is far more than a digital ID. It is a secure tool that carries everything a traveller needs, designed to work for everyone.
What is the main role of Tickets and Check-in within the Aptitude project?
“Our work is about facilitating travel, transport and mobility of people across Europe.”
What are the main challenges in your area of responsibility?
“The main challenge is to make sure we have the right partners and that those partners really collaborate and cooperate in order to bring the desired outcome.”
How can the European Wallet simplify bookings and check-ins for travellers?
“You should be able to use your wallet to do everything that relates to travel. You should be able to book your ticket, check in at your hotel, and access transport by train, ship or plane. Even if you are a student, you should have access to university buildings and accommodation, everything that relates to travel.”
What kinds of services will be integrated?
“It could be by air, train or ship. It could be accommodation like hotels but also student accommodation. It could be access to cultural sites, discounts for cultural sites. And it could be anything that will facilitate your travel, for instance if you have a disability, this should also be accommodated through your wallet.”
Why is it important to include student cards and other specific credentials?
“The wallet is important because it carries more than one kind of information. It does not carry just your ID. You are a student, this should be in the wallet and you should be able to use it. Or you are a pensioner doing the same thing. Or you have a disability that should be in your wallet and you should be able to take advantage of it.”
The Aptitude project brings together partners from 12 EU Member States and Ukraine to test the European Digital Identity Wallet in real-life scenarios such as travel, payments and digital services. The goal is to make digital identity secure, trusted and citizen-controlled, while ensuring services can work seamlessly across borders.
Learn more about Tickets and Check-in use case: https://aptitude.digital-identity-wallet.eu/wallet-use/tickets-check-in/
Learn more about the Aptitude Consortium: https://aptitude.digital-identity-wallet.eu/our-consortium/
