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Coding & Algorithms questions require understanding of core concepts and practice. PracHub provides solutions with explanations to help you master coding & algorithms interviews.

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This is a medium difficulty Coding & Algorithms question, commonly asked during Technical Screen rounds at Databricks.

What role is this question designed for?

This question is commonly asked for Software Engineer candidates at Databricks during technical interviews.

Choose the Best Travel Mode

Last updated: Jun 20, 2026

Quick Overview

Solve a grid-based pathfinding problem where a traveler must choose the transportation mode with the lowest travel time and cost tie-breakers. The question evaluates BFS, reachability under mode-specific passability rules, tie-breaking logic, and efficient handling of multiple traversal modes.

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Choose the Best Travel Mode

Databricks

Jun 4, 2026, 12:00 AM

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Practice Read

You are given a 2D grid representing a map, a start cell, a destination cell, and several transportation modes. Each mode has a per-step time cost and a per-step monetary cost. A traveler must choose exactly one mode for the entire trip. For a chosen mode, the traveler may move up, down, left, and right through cells that are open for that mode, plus the start and destination cells. Compute which mode reaches the destination with the smallest total travel time. If multiple modes tie on time, choose the one with the smaller total monetary cost. If no mode can reach the destination, return None. Design the algorithm so the grid is scanned efficiently instead of running unnecessary repeated work for every direction.