BOWLING GREEN — First there were robots delivering food directly to residence halls, then came a technology-enhanced shopping experience on campus.

Now, Bowling Green State University is the first university in the United States to accept mobile driver’s licenses for age verification. Concessionaires across BGSU’s athletic events can accept customers’ mobile driver’s licenses, including IDs in Apple Wallet, in person at athletics events.

Derek van der Merwe, director of athletics, said the new technology will cut down on wait times for a beer at a basketball game, for example, and enhance the customer experience.

He said the university is aggressive with surveying its consumers, who want this type of technology. Diminished wait times and lines have been identified as critical to their experience.

“I want to make sure they can get back to their seats and spend time with family and friends and enjoy the game,” Mr. van der Merwe said.

Ohio driver’s licenses and state IDs are available to add to Apple Wallet, which the state adopted this year. 

“It’s great to see Bowling Green State University become a nationwide trailblazer for adopting the Ohio Mobile ID, providing convenience to spectators and Falcon fans attending BGSU athletic events,” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said in a news release. “At InnovateOhio, our goal is to make Ohio the most innovative, entrepreneurial state in the Midwest, and the Ohio Mobile ID is one of the latest efforts aimed at better serving our customers — the people of Ohio — through technology.”

Users can present a compliant mobile driver’s license to a Tap2iD reader using near-field communication technology from Credence to privately and securely verify their age when making a purchase.

When users presents their mobile driver’s licenses to a BGSU concession, the concessionaire will only be provided the required information necessary for age verification.

To present an ID in Apple Wallet, people will be asked to hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a reader. Devices will then display what information is being requested, and only after authorizing with Face ID or Touch ID is the information released. They do not need to hand over their device.

In 2020, BGSU was the first university in Ohio to implement Starship Technology, which allows users to have food delivered using electric robots. The university deployed an autonomous floor-scrubbing robot in 2023.

This year, BGSU was among the first universities in the country to introduce Amazon Just Walk Out technology, which allows shoppers to check out at a campus market without waiting in lines.

"Bowling Green State University has long embraced the latest in technology to streamline the student experience, as well as the experience of supporters and community members visiting our campus,” President Rodney Rogers said. 

Mr. van der Merwe credited President Rogers for leading the innovation.

“He is always looking at the next thing to differentiate ourselves from our peers and stand out,” Mr. van der Merwe said.

Will the robots and automated shopping diminish the personal, individual contact at the university? He doesn’t think so.

“We still have individuals that are at the different point of engagements,” Mr. van der Merwe said. “Technology speeds it up, but individuals are still part of process.”

BGSU Athletics already uses the All-In-1 Pass for sporting events, which allows season-ticket holders, students, and mini-plan holders to add all of their seat tickets to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet — without having to download new tickets every week.

Students and visitors from other states who support mobile driver’s licenses including Arizona, Maryland, Georgia, Colorado, Hawaii, California, Iowa, New York, and Utah, will also be able to present their mobile driver’s licenses at BGSU events.

In addition to BGSU's athletic events, Ohio driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet can today be used in person at select airport TSA check lanes, including Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and John Glenn Columbus International Airport, and businesses with compliant mobile ID readers, or in select apps that require identity or age verification.

To add an Ohio driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet, tap the + button at the top of the screen in Apple Wallet on the iPhone, select “driver’s license or state ID,” and follow on-screen instructions to start set-up and verification.

For more information and demonstration videos, visit the OhioBMV website at bmv.ohio.gov/dl-mobile-id.aspx.

First Published November 22, 2024, 2:05 p.m.