Vehicle comparison · vehicle costs · bus and truck capacity · fleet investment
Transport Fever 3 vehicle comparison calculator
Compare three vehicles on the same transport task. Enter actual vehicle specifications and observed cycle times; this Transport Fever 3 vehicle comparison calculator sizes each fleet and compares operating cost and investment.
Your scenario
Example values are illustrative. Replace them with observations from your save. Inputs stay in your browser.
Your planning result
Lowest fleet operating cost
Option A has the lowest fleet running cost for this demand.
- Vehicle A fleet
- 11 vehicles
- Vehicle B fleet
- 7 vehicles
- Vehicle C fleet
- 7 vehicles
- A fleet running cost
- 11,000 money / hour
- B fleet running cost
- 12,600 money / hour
- C fleet running cost
- 14,700 money / hour
- A purchase investment
- 550,000 money
- B purchase investment
- 700,000 money
- C purchase investment
- 1,050,000 money
- A output per vehicle
- 96 units / hour
- B output per vehicle
- 160 units / hour
- C output per vehicle
- 160 units / hour
Calculation method & limits
Each vehicle's hourly output = capacity × load factor × 60 ÷ cycle minutes. Required fleet rounds hourly demand / per-vehicle output up. Fleet running cost and purchase investment multiply per-vehicle values by the resulting fleet. The lowest hourly running cost wins; ties retain the first option. These sample scenarios are not a TF3 vehicle database or a compatibility check.
Choose a fleet with the Transport Fever 3 vehicle comparison calculator
A Transport Fever 3 vehicle comparison calculator should compare the job, not just the sticker price. A cheaper vehicle can require a larger fleet; a larger vehicle can take longer on the same route. Enter up to three scenarios labelled A, B and C using the same cargo or passenger task, then examine operating cost alongside total purchase investment. The sample values are deliberately generic. Copy real capacities and prices from the vehicle panel in your save, and use cycle times from comparable routes. Mods, maintenance and difficulty can change those observations.
How to use this Transport Fever 3 calculator
- Choose three vehicles capable of serving the same task. Assign each to A, B or C. Enter capacity and the round-trip time including stops, then enter the purchase price and hourly running cost in one currency.
- Enter shared hourly demand and an achievable load factor. The Transport Fever 3 vehicle comparison calculator rounds fleets up independently, so an apparent per-seat saving may disappear when another complete vehicle is required.
- Compare hourly cost, required vehicle count and total investment. Check the platform, cargo type, route access and comfort requirements before choosing an option; those operational constraints are outside the arithmetic comparison.
A worked planning example
At 1000 units per hour and 80% loading, scenario A has capacity 40 and a 20-minute cycle, giving 96 units per vehicle-hour. Eleven vehicles are required. At 1000 hourly running cost each, that fleet costs 11000 per hour and costs 550000 to buy at a 50000 unit price. Scenario B has capacity 80, a 24-minute cycle and 1800 hourly cost: seven vehicles cost 12600 per hour. A wins the running-cost comparison even though B needs fewer vehicles.
What to do with the result
The vehicle comparison calculator ranks running cost only. It does not turn the cheapest result into a universal best vehicle. Compare purchase cash requirements, station capacity and the flexibility of the fleet. Use the train consist calculator for locomotive power, wagon weight and platform length, and use the ownership calculator for costs over several periods. If you want to evaluate a bus, tram, ship or aircraft in Transport Fever 3, keep capacity, timing and cost observations on the same basis.
Calculator questions
Does this Transport Fever 3 vehicle comparison calculator include a vehicle list?
The three options use your inputs rather than an unverified catalog. This lets you compare current-save or modded vehicles without silently applying another difficulty setting or an outdated price.
Why can a larger vehicle have a more expensive fleet?
Cycle time controls how often capacity is delivered, while required fleet size is rounded to whole vehicles. A slower cycle or higher running cost can outweigh extra capacity. Compare the complete fleet numbers instead of capacity alone.