Mobility Services Compliance and Security: Ensuring Driver's License Verification in Transportation Platforms
In the rapidly evolving world of shared mobility, the adoption of remote verification technologies is transforming traditional car rentals, allowing users to unlock vehicles with their smartphones after passing license and identity checks in advance. However, implementing these systems comes with a host of challenges.
Technical and User Experience Challenges
The adoption of mobile driver's licenses (mDLs) is technically complex and can initially impact user experience negatively. According to Luigi Ray-Montañez, engineering lead at Login.gov, mDLs, despite being superior for verification purposes, can make it difficult to streamline identity proofing processes [1].
Diversity and Update of Identity Documents
The wide variety of driver’s license formats, designs, and security features across states and countries complicates the establishment of a comprehensive and up-to-date reference database for verification. Frequent updates to licenses mean multiple versions coexist, making automated authentication harder [4].
Verification Equipment and Law Enforcement Acceptance
Law enforcement agencies and platforms need adequate hardware and software to verify digital IDs reliably. For instance, in Georgia, law enforcement agencies will only acquire the supporting verification technology by mid-2027, meaning physical IDs remain necessary in the meantime [2].
Regulatory and Federal Acceptance Uncertainty
Although federal agencies plan to accept mDLs for official purposes, acceptance policies vary by agency, and final comprehensive regulations are still pending. Agencies like TSA currently recommend users to carry physical IDs alongside mDLs to avoid travel disruptions due to uneven acceptance [3].
Security and Fraud Prevention Nuances
Integrating mDLs securely into mobility platforms requires compliance with cybersecurity standards and cooperation between state issuers and federal entities, adding another layer of complexity [1].
Despite these challenges, the benefits of digital driver's license verification are significant. It prevents fraud, enhances user trust, ensures safety and legal compliance, and streamlines the onboarding process. For instance, automated license verification allows companies to onboard users in seconds while dramatically reducing fraud, human error, and operational costs [5].
The mobility industry, including carsharing platforms like Getaround, Turo, and HoppyGo, and ride-hailing services, needs to verify license authenticity to ensure the person behind the wheel is legitimate. This is crucial for preventing fraud and liability for platform providers [7].
As the number of carsharing users worldwide continues to grow, reaching approximately 84.8 million by the end of 2024 and projected to hit 138 million by 2029, the need for secure and efficient driver's license verification systems becomes increasingly important [8]. By overcoming the challenges and implementing robust verification systems, mobility platforms can improve the user experience, making the process smoother and faster, reducing frustration, and minimising customer churn.
References:
[1] Ray-Montañez, L. (2022). Mobile driver's licenses: The future of identity proofing. Retrieved from https://www.login.gov/blog/2022/03/23/mobile-drivers-licenses-the-future-of-identity-proofing/
[2] Georgia Department of Driver Services. (2022). Digital driver's license FAQs. Retrieved from https://dds.georgia.gov/digital-driver-license-faqs
[3] Transportation Security Administration. (2022). Mobile driver's license acceptance. Retrieved from https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
[4] National Conference of State Legislatures. (2022). Mobile driver's licenses. Retrieved from https://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/mobile-driver-licenses.aspx
[5] Veriff. (2022). The benefits of automated license verification for mobility platforms. Retrieved from https://veriff.com/blog/benefits-of-automated-license-verification-for-mobility-platforms/
[6] International Carsharing Conference. (2022). Global carsharing statistics. Retrieved from https://icsc-conference.com/global-carsharing-statistics/
[7] Car and Driver. (2022). How carsharing companies verify your driver's license. Retrieved from https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a38590698/how-carsharing-companies-verify-your-drivers-license/
[8] Statista. (2022). Number of car sharing users worldwide from 2015 to 2029. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1139907/number-of-car-sharing-users-worldwide/
- The integration of mobile driver's licenses (mDLs) into mobility platforms requires cooperation between state issuers and federal entities to ensure compliance with cybersecurity standards.
- Frequent updates to driver's license formats and designs across states and countries make it difficult to establish a comprehensive and up-to-date reference database for verification, complicating the process.
- Law enforcement agencies and platforms need reliable hardware and software to authenticate digital IDs, and some, like those in Georgia, are still acquiring supporting verification technology as late as mid-2027.
- Despite the challenges associated with the adoption of mDLs, their benefits are significant, including fraud prevention, increased user trust, enhanced safety, and streamlined onboarding processes.
