Just five days ago, JSP Skopje, the city's public bus company, announced with the City's backing that it was introducing a digital student travel card for free public transport. Data was supposed to sync automatically between the universities and JSP, and students would get a QR code on their phones.

Then came the session of the Skopje City Council. The amendments it adopted to the Decision on the Integrated Fare System do introduce a digital pass - but only for first-year pupils at city-run and state-run secondary schools. The next phase will cover second-, third- and fourth-year pupils, who already have personalised electronic cards. Students aren't mentioned in the decision at all.

JSP director Saše Ilievski explained that the aim is fewer counters and less queuing. Users will get instructions by email and a QR code in the JSP app. Students, he said, will come later. "The whole procedure has to go step by step," he said. Exactly when, he didn't say.

The digital pass will be personalised, and JSP will be able to block it in case of misuse. Issuing it won't require an on-the-spot photo or a printed picture, as long as identification is done through the electronic system.

There's also a part of the decision that deserves more attention than the QR code. Every time a pass is validated, the system will record the date and time, the vehicle, the driver, the line, the direction, the stop, plus the user's details and their category - in line with personal data protection rules. For first-year pupils, that means a detailed map of every ride they take.

Digitalisation is welcome, especially if it shortens queues. But there are two questions. Why did the announcement for students evaporate within five days? And who will keep data on teenagers' movements around the city - for how long, and for what purpose?