More travel-route comparisons, now with CO2 effects

The virtual ink had barely dried on our story about Getset earlier this month when we learned of two like-minded contenders: Swiss routeRANK and UK-based Zoombu. Much like Getset, routeRANK is a travel search engine that figures out the best route between point A and point B by comparing rail, road and air connections. Users simply type in their starting point, destination and dates of travel, then rank the results provided by routeRANK according to price, time, CO2 emissions or means of travel. Once they’ve chosen their preferred trip, they can book the tickets directly with the relevant travel provider. They can also offset their emissions through myClimate. The free system focuses on travel within Europe but includes flight information for all major airports worldwide. Zoombu, meanwhile, compares routes across many modes of transport to find the best door-to-door itinerary from anywhere in the UK to any destination in Europe. Once again, the free search engine finds the fastest, cheapest or most carbon-friendly end-to-end route, combining thousands of options including flights, trains, ferries, coaches, driving, car hire and airport car parking. Once they find a good one, users can book it directly with the provider. Zoombu Ski — focusing on travelling to the French Alps — is also available. After years of focus on airfares, it’s refreshing to see travel search engines incorporating a more realistic picture of consumers’ options — including the environmental effects. That’s the US, Europe and the UK covered; one to bring to other parts of the world? Websites: www.routerank.com — www.zoombu.co.uk Spotted by: Martin Willitts