How we assess route data

The prices shown on Routavio are there for comparison. Flight prices in particular can be estimates, because cached data and third-party price signals may be used to produce them.

Wherever possible, the result says whether a price is live, cached or estimated. The final fare and availability are always confirmed by the provider.

When a route is built, transfer times, transport points and the practicality of each connection are checked. The aim is to filter out, as far as possible, the connections that look possible on paper but cannot be made in practice.

Cached data is held to fixed time limits. When a source cannot be reached, the goal is that old information is never presented as if it were current.

Where it is available, a result shows when the data was last checked and whether it is live, cached or estimated.

Routavio builds a route from timetable data and fare searches.

A large part of the rail and public transport connections comes from timetables and stops that operators and open data sources publish in GTFS format.

Flight fares come from live searches across several flight booking sites, plus fares Routavio saw earlier, which are shown with the day it saw them. Bus and train fares on ground routes come from partner searches and also carry the day they were seen.

A fare on Routavio is a price seen on that day, not a guarantee. The provider confirms the final fare, the status of a departure and availability at checkout.