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Ticket Optimizer

Created by Bogna Szyk
Reviewed by Małgorzata Koperska, MD and Steven Wooding
Last updated: Jun 05, 2023


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.

  • Price of a short-term ticket. It could be a weekly, biweekly, or maybe a 10-day ticket – whatever you find most suitable.

  • Validity period of the short-term ticket. Make sure to adjust it, too!

If the city you visit offers many options, you can open the advanced mode of our ticket optimizer to consider another type of periodic pass, such as a long-term ticket.

💡 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)
  • Weekly tickets (€30.00)

Apparently, the best option is to buy one weekly ticket and three one-day tickets. If you reduced the number of trips per day to two, though, it would be cheaper to buy one weekly and six single-fare tickets instead.

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 🚴‍♀️

Bogna Szyk
Your transport needs
Trips
per
day
I need tickets for...
days
Total number of trips
Option 1: Single fare tickets
Ticket price
$
Option 2: Short-term tickets
Ticket price
$
Short-term ticket is valid for...
days
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