How travel time is calculated
Overview
Travel time plays a critical role in scheduling, allocation, and optimization decisions within Skedulo. It is used to estimate how long it takes a resource to travel between locations, helping schedulers make informed decisions and enabling the system to create more efficient and realistic schedules.
Skedulo calculates travel time using either Basic Traffic or Advanced Traffic data. Basic Traffic is the default for all features. Advanced Traffic is a paid add-on for organizations with Mastermind features and is off by default.
This page explains how travel time is calculated, the available traffic options, and which features and APIs rely on this data.
Features that use travel time
These features use travel time:
- Swimlanes, including the travel home from the last job or activity in each availability block
- Allocation
- Field: Mastermind
- Route Optimization, including the travel wicks in the optimization results Schedule preview
- Suggest
- Field: Mastermind Lite
- Booking Grid
- Rules Service
All features use Basic Traffic by default. If you have Field: Mastermind, you can add Advanced Traffic as an additional paid add-on. Allocation, Route Optimization, and Suggest then use Advanced Traffic.
Accurate travel times help reduce over-allocation, improve arrival-time predictions, and support better optimization outcomes.
APIs that use travel time
In addition to in-product features, travel time calculations are also available via Skedulo APIs. These APIs support both Basic Traffic and Advanced Traffic, depending on your configuration.
The following APIs use travel time data:
- Directions API – Calculates point-to-point travel time and distance between locations.
- Distance Matrix API – Calculates travel time and distance across multiple origins and destinations.
These APIs allow customers to retrieve travel time data programmatically for use in custom integrations and external systems. For implementation details, refer to the API documentation.
Traffic data options
Skedulo offers two traffic data options for calculating travel time:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Basic Traffic | Uses OpenStreetMap (OSM) data with an average traffic model applied across the entire day. This is the default for all features, including Mastermind and Mastermind Lite. |
| Advanced Traffic | Uses time-aware traffic data from TomTom to model traffic conditions at different times of day, providing more accurate travel estimates. Paid add-on for Mastermind features (route optimization, Suggest with Mastermind, and allocation). Off by default. |
Important
If you are interested in enabling Advanced Traffic, speak to your Customer Success Manager to discuss availability, suitability, and commercial considerations.Basic Traffic
Basic Traffic is the default travel time calculation method across Skedulo.
How Basic Traffic works
The Basic Traffic model:
- Uses OpenStreetMap (OSM) road network data.
- Applies a traffic model based on average conditions across the entire day.
- Takes into account:
- Road types
- Urban density
- Speed limits
Because it relies on average traffic conditions, Basic Traffic does not vary travel time based on the time of day. This makes it suitable for general scheduling scenarios where time-specific traffic accuracy is less critical.
Note
Basic Traffic is used by default across all features. If your organization has Advanced Traffic, Mastermind features use it when it’s enabled. Mastermind Lite and other scheduling features continue to use Basic Traffic.Advanced Traffic
Advanced Traffic is an enhanced traffic model for Mastermind features, designed to provide more accurate, time-aware travel estimates.
How Advanced Traffic works
The Advanced Traffic option:
- Requires a departure time to determine the time of day.
- Uses TomTom traffic data to layer traffic conditions relevant to that specific time.
- Divides the day into multiple time periods to represent different traffic conditions.
- Interpolates travel times between adjacent time periods to reflect gradual changes in traffic rather than abrupt shifts.
- Provides more accurate travel times compared to the Basic option, which relies on daily averages.
This allows Skedulo to better reflect real-world traffic patterns, such as peak-hour congestion and quieter off-peak periods.
Note
The TomTom traffic data used by Advanced Traffic is refreshed on a quarterly basis. Each update incorporates the latest available traffic patterns and road network changes.Time-of-day traffic periods
Advanced Traffic divides the day into six distinct periods to retrieve traffic data at different stages of the day:
| Period | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| NIGHT | 20:30 | 06:30 |
| MORNING RUSH | 06:30 | 09:30 |
| MORNING | 09:30 | 12:00 |
| MIDDAY | 12:00 | 14:30 |
| AFTERNOON | 14:30 | 16:30 |
| EVENING RUSH | 16:30 | 19:30 |
When a departure time is provided, the system determines which period applies and interpolates traffic conditions to produce a more precise travel time estimate.
Tip
Advanced Traffic is particularly valuable for Mastermind route optimization, where travel accuracy during peak hours can significantly impact schedule quality.Choosing the right traffic option
- Use Basic Traffic for standard scheduling needs where average travel times are sufficient.
- Consider Advanced Traffic if:
- Travel time accuracy is critical
- Peak-hour congestion materially impacts schedules
- You rely heavily on Mastermind route optimization, Suggest with Mastermind, or API-based integrations
To explore whether Advanced Traffic is right for your organization, contact your Customer Success Manager.
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