When you build a route, PoolStamp can reorder the selected stops to reduce total drive distance or drive time. Use Optimize route when you want PoolStamp to propose a better order; manual ordering stays available.
How it decides
The optimizer uses each stop's geocoded latitude and longitude plus an optional starting point. It preserves the same stop list and only changes order.
Provider order is:
- Mapbox Optimization API when Mapbox is configured and the route fits its coordinate limit.
- Mapbox Matrix + nearest-neighbor + 2-opt for larger Mapbox-supported routes.
- OSRM Table + 2-opt when OSRM is configured.
- Nearest-neighbor + 2-opt haversine fallback when no routing provider is available.
Overriding the order
Drag stops in the route planner to set a manual order, then save. If you run optimization again later, PoolStamp may reorder the stops again unless you manually restore and save the order you want.
When the optimizer helps most
- Routes with 8+ stops: manual ordering vs optimized often saves 20-45 minutes of drive time.
- New customer added mid-day: add the stop, then optimize again if the route shape changed.
When it doesn't
- Short 2-3 stop days — you know the shape of your neighborhood better than any solver.
- Downtown routes with heavy one-way streets: provider-backed routing usually handles this better than the fallback, but arrival times are still estimates.