> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.footstep.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# compare_routes

> Compare travel modes between the same origin and destination

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/footstep/QNknRZ9DgHsEJ89b/images/compare-routes.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=QNknRZ9DgHsEJ89b&q=85&s=64b76e9acb26590b3b530e0d8296db47" alt="Compare travel modes" width="1408" height="768" data-path="images/compare-routes.webp" />
</Frame>

Run the same route with different travel modes and get a side-by-side comparison of distance, duration, and terrain difficulty. Useful for deciding how to travel.

Supports comparing 2-4 modes in one call: walking, cycling, driving, bus, and truck.

## Example prompts

* "Should I walk or cycle from Kings Cross to Tower Bridge?"
* "Compare driving vs cycling from my hotel to the conference centre"
* "What's the easiest way to get from A to B - walking, cycling, or driving?"
* "How much hillier is cycling vs walking between these two points?"

## What you get back

A summary per travel mode (distance, duration, terrain analytics) plus a comparison block showing which mode is fastest, shortest, and easiest by terrain. Includes a natural language summary like "Cycling is 3 min faster than walking but has 40m more climbing."

For step-by-step directions on a chosen mode, call `get_directions` after comparing.

## Map rendering

Responses include a `render` envelope with one `linestring` layer per mode (style hints carry the mode name and a recommended colour for distinct styling). Pass `compact: true` for summary-only responses (the comparison block + per-mode totals only). See [response defaults & controls](/mcp/defaults) and [render envelopes](/mcp/render-envelopes).

## Example response

```json theme={null}
{
  "structuredContent": {
    "routes": {
      "auto":      { "distance_meters": 6000, "duration_seconds": 600 },
      "bicycle":   { "distance_meters": 5800, "duration_seconds": 1300 }
    },
    "comparison": { "fastest": "auto", "shortest": "bicycle", "easiest": "auto", "summary": "…" },
    "render": [
      {
        "kind": "linestring",
        "label": "auto route",
        "data": {/* GeoJSON LineString */},
        "bbox": [/* … */],
        "style_hints": { "mode": "auto", "recommended_color": "#1f77b4" }
      },
      {
        "kind": "linestring",
        "label": "bicycle route",
        "data": {/* GeoJSON LineString */},
        "bbox": [/* … */],
        "style_hints": { "mode": "bicycle", "recommended_color": "#ff7f0e" }
      }
    ]
  }
}
```