scope:

MaaS distribution API survey

This document describes the execution and results of a survey into distribution APIs for MaaS. API owners have been encouraged to participate if they offer APIs that support the functions or if they were expecting to do so within a reasonable timeframe. Although there seems to be good coverage of European examples, survey responses cannot be treated as representative of the complete worldwide set of APIs, but provide strong indications of the totality of what exists, and the issues raised in terms of standardization and regulation.

The survey has been carried out without any pre-determined agenda in terms of API policy or strategy. It has not been assumed a priori that a single API set could or should meet all multi-modal business needs. Comments are provided in respect of the impacts in standardization, but it was not considered appropriate to make any comments on regulatory implications, as this is not the area of competence for the CEN working group.

Transport distribution functions

Distribution APIs may be related to one or to a combination of the functionality/ies¹ (processes) described

This architecture has been drawn from a number of reference sources covering urban transport, rail transport, financial services, transport regulation and transport standards.

There are the two main entities quoted conventionally in MaaS: the MaaS provider and the transport service provider.

In addition, and particularly relevant in the EU, is the National Access Point to the transport data portal.

In some cases, the transport service provider delegates the distribution of their services to an intermediary or aggregator, including GDSs.

Other IFMS roles include media and identify providers, ticket controllers, security managers, registries and IFMS scheme managers.

MaaS providers receive payment related to their customer's travel both from banks, but also from transport authorities and other entities holding travel purses and travel subscriptions.

The service booking interconnection uses the distribution APIs covered by this Technical Report.

The service data interconnection uses a range of APIs and message formats. In the EU these are predominantly harmonized standards.

Use of distribution APIs

Most distribution use cases can be categorized in three main ones:

- purchase of a trip offer (access right) for a set price that is valid for a defined set of services

- reservation and a commitment to pay once the price is known after travel

- implicit purchase of a trip offer that uses payment cards for pay-as-you-go (PAYG).

In the first case, a substantial set of distribution API functionalities is needed, including pricing for the journey (the whole set is summarized in the survey questions in section 4.3). The customer explicitly enters into a contract with the MaaS Provider.

In the second case, the price of travel is not known in advance and so distribution API functionality is needed that can explicitly commit a customer to pay the MaaS Provider for their journey after travel and provide a later justification for the charge.

In the third PAYG case, there is no registration or ticketing or pricing in advance and so there is no MaaS Provider in its original conception. The obligation to pay is implicit in entering the system, so the only distribution API functions needed are related to journey planning, plus the ability to demonstrate what journeys were made and how the charges were calculated.

To be noted that in all three cases, there is no requirement that the passenger and the customer are the same person.

¹ Definitions based upon MaaS Alliance White Paper and on Transmodel/NeTEx.