At 12 15, Elijah left Town A for Town B, driving at a speed of 88 km/h. At 13 15, John also left Town A for Town B driving at a certain speed. Both of them did not change their speed throughout the journey. At 17 15, both of them passed a market that was 176 km away from Town B. How many minutes earlier did John reach Town B than Elijah?

Distance that Elijah travelled
= 5 x 88
= 440 km

Distance between Town A and Town B
= 440 + 176
= 616 km

Since John passed the market at the same time as Elijah, it means that John travelled 440 km in 4 hours.

John's speed during the journey
= 440 ÷ 4
= 110 km/h

Duration that John took to reach Town B after passing the market
= 176 ÷ 110
= 1.6 h

Duration that Elijah took to reach Town B after passing the market
= 176 ÷ 88
= 2 h

Difference between the time they took to reach Town B
= 2 - 1.6
= 0.4 h

1 h = 60 min
0.4 h = 0.4 x 60 = 24 min

John reached Town B 24 minutes earlier than Elijah.

Answer(s): 24 min