FOLLOWING A PANDEMIC-DRIVEN lull, interest in pursuing mobility as a service (MaaS) among transit agencies is taking off, and for good reason. The case for providing users access to a vivid spectrum of transportation options in a single app is compelling on grounds that range from cost and convenience to urban livability and environmental sustainability. But how do we get there? There's a Wild West aspect to the MaaS marketplace, with scads of startups around the globe offering so many solutions - often emphasizing the front-end user-facing app - as they chase what looks to be a massive business opportunity. That's a good thing. Competition will hone these apps and improve usability along the way, and if they're not compelling enough to sway the masses from always thinking "car," MaaS will spin its wheels. But the success of MaaS in the long run - that is, a MaaS that works for riders while remaining a viable business for transit agencies and commercial transportation providers working with them - will depend not only on front-end, but also (and, I would argue, predominantly) on back-end processing that truly fulfills MaaS vision while enabling business models that work.
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