Heritage railways preserve history. The ticketing platform shouldn't be charging a platform fee for every seat.
Tourist trains, dinner railroads, holiday excursions, and historic trolleys sell reserved seats at premium prices. Per-ticket platform fees on that reservation revenue are a direct cut of what should stay with the operation. Equaticket charges a flat subscription: no Equaticket fee per passenger, per departure, or per season.
No credit card required · First 50 tickets free · Cancel anytime
The problem
Per-ticket fees on premium reserved experiences add up quickly
A tourist railway selling 1,500 seats per season at $45 average is paying Eventbrite roughly $6,750. For a heritage operation where track maintenance, rolling stock preservation, and crew training are ongoing costs, that's a real budget line going to a platform instead of the railway itself.
Tourist railways and historic trolleys often operate as nonprofits or family businesses dedicated to preservation. Equaticket exists to end per-ticket fees so that every dollar passengers spend on a unique experience stays with the operation running it.
How it works
How Equaticket works for tourist trains and trolleys
Reserved seating by departure.
Tourist trains and trolleys sell seats on specific departures at specific times. Equaticket handles departure-based ticketing. Buyers select a run, check availability, and reserve seats. Each departure gets its own capacity.
Seasonal and holiday ride packages.
Polar Express, Santa Train, Pumpkin Patch Special: holiday-themed excursions sell out quickly. Open presale windows weeks in advance with automatic close dates so you don't oversell a run.
Premium and general class tiers.
First class observation car, dining car, and coach class can all be separate ticket types with different prices and seat counts. Each tier validates independently at boarding.
Promo codes for railway society members.
Heritage railway societies and rail enthusiast groups are loyal audiences. Issue member promo codes with usage limits and expiration dates, included on all paid plans.
Embed on your railway website.
Tourist train passengers should book on your railway's own site. The Equaticket embed keeps the purchase experience on your brand without redirecting to a generic event marketplace.
Platform comparison
The math
A tourist railway selling 1,500 seats per season at $45 average:
| Platform | Seasonal platform fees |
|---|---|
| Eventbrite (~11%) | ~$6,750 |
| TicketSpice ($0.99/ticket) | ~$1,485 |
| Equaticket Growth | $79 |
$6,650 per season funds track maintenance, rolling stock preservation, and the crew that makes each excursion possible.
Savings calculator
See how much your railway would save
Enter your seasonal passenger count and average ticket price.
See how much you’ll save with Equaticket
Zero per-ticket platform fees. One flat price. The more you sell, the more you save.
- Biggest savingsEventbrite$29,161/year
in total ticketing fees
Save $18,583/yearwith Equaticket vs. Eventbrite
- TicketSpice$15,570/year
in total ticketing fees
Save $4,992/yearwith Equaticket vs. TicketSpice
- Ticket Tailor$14,730/year
in total ticketing fees
Save $4,152/yearwith Equaticket vs. Ticket Tailor
Total Savings
$4,152 – $18,583/year
or $20,760 – $92,916 over 5 years
Calculations based on total fees. All platforms include payment processing via Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) unless otherwise noted. Eventbrite bundles processing into their fee. Equaticket subscription billed quarterly. Competitor pricing verified March 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Equaticket's recurring event tool lets you set a show schedule — daily, weekly, or custom — and manages the booking calendar automatically. Each date gets its own capacity, QR codes, and attendee list.
No. Equaticket charges a flat monthly subscription, billed quarterly. We take nothing from each ticket sold. Your attendees pay exactly the price you set, with no added booking fees from us. Stripe payment processing applies at their standard rate (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction).
The Free tier is completely free with no time limit. It includes 50 tickets per 30 days, unlimited events, QR check-in, and the embeddable checkout widget. Paid plans start at $29/mo (Starter, billed quarterly at $87) for up to 750 tickets per quarter. No credit card required to sign up.
Yes. Every Equaticket plan includes an embeddable checkout widget. Paste a single script tag into your site — WordPress, Squarespace, Webflow, or any HTML page — and the ticket purchase flow runs directly on your site. Buyers never leave your domain.
Every ticket includes a unique QR code. Your staff scan it using any smartphone camera through our check-in app — no hardware required, no app store download needed. Paid plans include real-time multi-device sync, so multiple scanners at multiple gates stay in sync instantly with no double-entries.
Ready to stop paying per ticket?
Flat subscription. No per-ticket fees. Cancel anytime.
Start free, set up your railway ticketingNo credit card required.