Ticket Optimizer
Table of contents
Step 1: Analyze your traveling styleStep 2: Input the ticket pricesStep 3: Find the cheapest optionStep 4: Enjoy your travel!If you travel a lot, you probably know that the vast range of public transport tickets available in almost every big city is enough to cause a throbbing headache. Will a monthly card pay off, or should you just opt for the single-fare tickets instead? This ticket optimizer spares you the tedious calculations, making choosing the optimal (that is, the cheapest) option a breeze!
Traveling with a car? Then, take a look at our gas calculator!
Step 1: Analyze your traveling style
In order to figure out the cheapest combination of tickets, you first need to estimate your transport needs.
Let's assume you are a tourist, staying for a few days in Paris. Do you prefer to walk around the city and use public transport sparingly, but for considerable distances only? Or maybe you like the flexibility and plan to use the metro multiple times a day?
Once you know how you'd like to use public transport, fill out the following fields:
-
Trips per day. Simply, it's the number of trips with public transportation that you'll make every day of your stay.
-
Duration of your stay. The optimal option depends on whether you stay only for three days or maybe as long as three weeks.
Our ticket optimizer automatically calculates the total number of trips. If you feel the number is too low or too high, feel free to play with the two variables above it to adjust it.
Step 2: Input the ticket prices
Once you know your travel style, it's high time to do some research. Check out the website of the city's public transportation, or grab an information booklet and note down the following:
-
Price of a single fare ticket.
-
What tickets do you want to compare the single fare ticket with.
-
Price of a short-term ticket and/or long-term ticket, depending on your choice in the previous step.
-
Validity period of the short/long-term ticket. It could be a weekly, biweekly, or maybe a 30- or 90-day ticket – whatever you find most suitable. Make sure to adjust it, too!
💡 You might also be interested in our commute calculator to see if driving to work would be better for you.
Step 3: Find the cheapest option
Once you input all of this information into the ticket optimizer, your job here is done! Our tool will select the most cost-effective combination for you.
Let's consider an example of a 10-day-long excursion to Berlin. Which ticket combination will be the best for you? We'll assume four trips by the metro every day during that period.
You can consider three different options:
- Single fare tickets (€2.80 each);
- Daily tickets (€7.00); or
- Weekly tickets (€30.00).
Apparently, the best option is to buy one weekly ticket and three one-day tickets.
Step 4: Enjoy your travel!
Now that you're all set, you can start thinking about other aspects of your travel rather than worrying about transportation costs. Enjoy your stay!
By the way, if the city you're traveling to offers public bikes, maybe it's a good idea to hop on two wheels and check out our calories burned biking calculator 🚴♀️