## 1 Introduction  
Cloud computing is a paradigm that enables the seamless utilization of services over the Internet, with the unique capability of dynamic scalability. In the past, the cloud has often been considered to represent a specific portion of the Internet that includes certain infrastructure. However, currently, the term \"cloud\" has evolved to serve as a metaphor for the wide range of services offered over the Internet [1]. The concept of cloud computing dates back to 1950-1960 [2, 3]. There were dramatic developments in this space after IBM introduced its new operating system named VM, which allowed its mainframe systems to have multiple virtual systems, or 'virtual machines (VM)', on a single physical node [3]. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines cloud computing as follows. \"Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction\" [4]. Serverless cloud computing is a model of cloud computing wherein developers can develop and deploy applications without configuring underlying infrastructures. It is a relatively new concept. According to [5], serverless cloud computing streamlines nearly all system administration tasks, effectively simplifying the cloud usage experience for programmers. When cloud computing became popular for the first time, developers were drawn to solutions like Amazon EC2 because they offered full control over application instances [5]. However, this also meant that developers were responsible for managing and scaling their applications, which could be time-consuming and complex. Additionally, developers often did not want to make significant changes to their existing code to make it cloud friendly. As cloud computing matured, new technologies like FaaS (Function as a Service) emerged. FaaS provides a serverless computing platform that allows developers to run code without having to worry about infrastructure or scaling. This makes it ideal for running small, frequently invoked tasks, such as processing payments or sending emails. Currently, there are many cloud service providers available, with Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft (MS) Azure being the main players. Despite their current popularity, there are not many similar research results available to provide a comparison of their usability and performance. In this study, we have conducted a comparative study of these services using a SmartSAT Django web application with a heavy reliance on Google Maps and distance matrix APIs. This application was selected for the study as part of the grant-funded project to develop a customizable mobile app for San Antonio (SA) Transit that provides critical services to transit users in SA. It is similar to other apps like Google Maps, Moovit, and Transit, but SmartSAT is designed specifically to improve the transit experience for lower-income people who rely on San Antonio's public VIA Transit. The analysis incorporated and focused on three serverless platforms: Google's Cloud Run, AWS' App Runner, and Azure's Container Apps.