Bus Simulator: UltimateHow to Get the Most Free Money in Bus Simulator: Ultimate
Bus Simulator: Ultimate runs two currencies with very different jobs: money, which comes from driving, and gold coins, which open up countries and terminals. Both can be earned without paying.
What is the fastest and most efficient way to get Money in Bus Simulator: Ultimate?
Money is the game's everyday currency, marked by the green circle, and it funds almost everything: buses, terminals, catering, fuel, workshops, washes and tolls. Gold coins are the premium currency and are reserved for structural things, above all opening offices in other countries and buying terminals, which usually cost between 50 and 100 coins. They also let you push ticket sales forward or switch on easy mode for one coin. With update 2.0.0 they stopped being used to upgrade terminals, which are now paid for with money.
Every day
- Money or between 1 and 5 gold coins per gift, with one gift available every hour
Gift box on the main menu
A gift box appears at the top of the main menu. Opening it gets you money or gold coins, normally between one and five. The timer was originally two hours, but Zuuks cut it to one hour in version 1.5.3, so a long session can chain several together. You can also skip the wait by watching a full sponsor video ad and claiming the gift instantly. It is the most direct way to stack up gold without going through the store.
- Your main money source; the payout lands when the trip ends
Complete routes with passengers
The bulk of your income comes from creating routes, filling them with passengers and taking them to their destination, at which point the trip is settled. When planning the trip you pick origin, destination and time, and the game works out duration, distance and fuel consumption; the ticket price comes suggested but can be adjusted. Fuel, tolls, repairs and washes are deducted from what you collect, so your real profit depends as much on the route you pick as on how you drive.
- Multiplies what you made on the scoring screen by one hundred
Multiplied reward at the end of the route
When you finish a trip the scoring screen appears with a breakdown of your earnings. That is where the game offers an optional video ad that multiplies that route's reward. It is by far the strongest lever on your income, because it turns an ordinary trip into the equivalent of many routes back to back. Since the multiplier applies to what you have already earned, it pays to reach for it right after a long, well-scored trip rather than after a short route with penalties.
- Improves the margin on every route and avoids penalties deducted from your payout
Look after passenger satisfaction and your driving
Profit is not just what you collect, it is what you do not lose. Each onboard catering service raises passenger satisfaction by 5%, so stocking the bus before setting off pays for itself on long trips. On the road, running a red light, forcing a police check or hitting a patrol car or an ambulance triggers penalties deducted directly. Driving clean with a serviced bus turns mediocre routes into profitable ones without spending an extra cent.
Every week
- Money for the first six days and 10 gold coins plus a large sum of money on the seventh
Seven consecutive days bonus
The daily bonus hands out money for six days running, with the figure climbing each day, and peaks on the seventh with 10 gold coins on top of the cash payout. The cycle repeats week after week with the same amounts. The important detail is that each bonus expires after 24 hours: let a day slip by without claiming it and the counter resets, sending you back to the first step and costing you day seven, which is where all the gold sits.
One time only
- Permanently raises your income ceiling per trip
Reinvest in offices, terminals and long routes
The gold coins you save should go towards opening offices in new countries and buying terminals, which cost between 50 and 100 coins each. Every opening unlocks routes you did not have, and long distances pay considerably more than short hops: there are trips like Stuttgart-Hamburg at nearly 700 kilometres against runs of under 150. It is a one-off investment that lifts the floor on all your future income, so it is worth prioritising over buying expensive buses too early.
What does not work
No generator can add Money to your Bus Simulator: Ultimate account: the balance is handled on the game’s servers and there is no way to touch it from outside. If you arrived looking for one, we explain in detail how they work on the inside and why they always end the same way.
See why Money generators are a scam →Frequently asked questions
How do you get gold coins without going through the store?
There are two reliable free routes. The first is the main menu gift box, which comes back every hour and sometimes hands over between one and five coins; you can bring it forward by watching a full ad. The second is the seven consecutive days bonus, which on day seven drops 10 gold coins along with a substantial amount of money. Combining both gathers enough gold for terminals and offices without buying anything.
What determines what you collect at the end of a trip?
The route's distance and duration count, along with the ticket price you set, the number of passengers and their satisfaction, and every cost deducted along the way: fuel, tolls, repairs and washes. On top of that come penalties for running red lights, police checks or hitting emergency vehicles. One long route driven well and with catering leaves a much better margin than two short ones done in a rush.
Why is the scoring screen ad worth it?
Because it multiplies what you just earned on that trip by one hundred, and it applies to the already calculated result. That means its value depends on the quality of the route: the bigger the base payout, the more the multiplier gives back. The efficient play is to save it for long, well-scored trips with no penalties, rather than burning it after a short run where the base result is small.
How do you avoid losing the seven-day bonus?
By claiming it within each day's 24 hours. The bonus expires if you do not collect it and the counter goes back to day one, which means losing the seventh step, the only one that hands over the 10 gold coins. You do not need to drive any route to claim it: opening the game and collecting is enough. That is why it pays to log in even for a minute on days you are not really going to play.
