So bad had to write a review
I’m sure you can see the amount of 1 stars this app gets and I can assure you they are completely justified. I can’t even begin to describe how bad this app is when you need to step foot on a bus. I have never written a review on the app store before and this will be my first because of how terrible my experience is. The amount of times this app logs you out when you need to travel anywhere is absurd and this year it only seems to have gotten worse. An app that’s supposed to be convenient so that you may be able to access public transportation all of a sudden doesn’t become so convenient and reliable anymore. This was an issue that has been occurring for at least a year but it has become more apparent this year. I, and many others can only hope and pray this app gets updated to become something actually functional and reliable. If there was an option for 0 stars I’d push the limit to open up negatives.
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Student passes don’t work
I used my student email to register for an account several times and every time its failed to link me to the institution, I’ve asked my school they can’t do anything because its your app and whenever I call the customer support I only get bots and bus rates but no support you should’ve stuck with the OCTA app it was good while it lasted
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OC Fair
Downloaded the app and added money to use for my family so we can ride the OC Express but the bus will only allow a 1 time scan to enter the bus for 1 person. I could not use the rest of the money I had already paid to scan for my family. The rest of my family had to quickly find dollar bills since they only accept exact change. OCTA’s previous app was much easier to use.
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The worst ever!
Do not use this app. It is extremely frustrating and unreliable. Multiple times it has logged me out right before getting on the bus, and when I try to log back in it says my password is incorrect. Then I have to go through the whole process of resetting my password through the website, entering my information, and waiting for an email link just to get access again. Meanwhile, the buses will leave and won’t wait for you while you’re trying to fix the app. The only time they might wait is if the driver is nice enough to. Save yourself the stress and use a bus card instead.
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No indication on pass confirming college linked
After creating a virtual card and linking my college, the pass still says Rider Type “Regular” - shouldn’t this say “Rider Type “Linked” and the Low Balance banner is just wrong since I have free unlimited rides. The UI is poor and the UX isn’t intuitive. I am terrified to use the pass on a bus. My account is linked to my school and my account is linked to my pass. There is nothing which indicates the pass is linked to the school. This missing communication is the difference between success and failure - trust or humiliation.
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Random log outs
App works fine but sometimes it has a bad habit of logging you out and at the worst time just before the bus comes. Not to mention that it won’t remember your password stored on your phone so the process takes longer and then the bus leaves
Ridiculously stupid
So, I downloaded an app to purchase physical cards, that I subsequently have to pay to be mailed to me?
The main purpose of installing an app on your mobile device is to pay for services without requiring any other physical instrument to process payment.
Whose idea was this? Pay a consultant to hire a software developer from Upwork.
Then a passenger could just purchase passes that can be added to their digital wallet.
This is a ridiculous waste of time and resources when it is more convenient to just pay with cash when a person needs to take a bus somewhere.
The main purpose of installing an app on your mobile device is to pay for services without requiring any other physical instrument to process payment.
Whose idea was this? Pay a consultant to hire a software developer from Upwork.
Then a passenger could just purchase passes that can be added to their digital wallet.
This is a ridiculous waste of time and resources when it is more convenient to just pay with cash when a person needs to take a bus somewhere.
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DIDNT WORK WHEN I NEEDED IT.
If you expect this to work every time don’t. I always check my balance at least 10 minutes before I get on the bus, I check it five minutes before, I even leave the page open. When I needed to take the bus I opened it on my way to the bus stop and IT WOULD NOT LOG IN. It kept saying error or invalid. I even made a new account and it still wouldn’t work. The bus I needed doesn’t pass that often so I had to wait even longer to take the next one. Guess what. It still didn’t work, yes I know I can use cash but at that moment I didn’t have any this app is supposed to be reliable and make things easier but it didn’t. Please fix your app!!
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Sign Out
This app keeps logging me out even though I have an account with them. The struggle is so real when I put in my password that is correct it keeps saying error so please fix this bug…
Missed bus due to errors
I missed the bus 4 times already due to payment not letting me thru I never had this problem with older app
Easy to Navigate
The app is easy to navigate but keeps signing me off, after a while not using the app, I hope they can find a solution for it and add some new features for example Face ID overall very easy to use.
terrible
Everytime I tried loading money into my card, and I got on the bus it would always say “X” on the screen for no reason even when I had enough balance to ride it. I don’t know if it was a glitch but overall the old system was better.
Ngl this app sucks
This app is always having issues processing payments and when I try to logout and delete the app in an attempt to fix the issue, it says the actual bus card is linked to another device 💀 they need to bring back the old app cuz this one is booty cheeks
Monthly Bus Pass
I would say 5 stars however it was hidden knowledge to get a monthly bus pass you have to add $69 to the virtual card I was told when I called customer service. It’s my first day using it so far it still shows $69 balance so it seem like I was told accurate information however the app should be able to allow us to purchase the monthly or 90day or yearly rides instead of having to call in if this can be corrected this app would be 5stars!
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Horrible
If there was zero stars id select it. App is horrible not user friendly aswell as loggin is extremely fustrating.
Downloadable Obstacle
Wave by OCTA manages to accomplish something impressive: it takes what should be a simple task, paying to ride a bus, and turns it into a small logistical project.
Based on the reviews, I’m clearly not the only one experiencing the same issues. The app sits at roughly a two-star rating, and after using it for a while it becomes obvious why. The entire thing feels less like a tool meant to help riders and more like a pointless middleman inserted purely so OCTA can track transactions.
The biggest issue is reliability. The app absolutely refuses to stay signed in or remember login information consistently. That means when you’re actually standing at a bus stop and need to use it, you’re often locked out until you go through the login process again. If you’re lucky, that’s just a couple minutes. If you’re not, you’re resetting passwords and fighting with verification screens while the bus you were trying to catch drives away.
Public transit apps should reduce friction. This one adds it.
What makes it more frustrating is that the complaints in the reviews are almost identical to what you experience using it. That strongly suggests the designers either didn’t test the app in real commuting situations or simply didn’t prioritize the rider experience when building it.
At the moment, the app feels less like a convenience and more like a downloadable obstacle placed between riders and the bus they’re trying to board.
Based on the reviews, I’m clearly not the only one experiencing the same issues. The app sits at roughly a two-star rating, and after using it for a while it becomes obvious why. The entire thing feels less like a tool meant to help riders and more like a pointless middleman inserted purely so OCTA can track transactions.
The biggest issue is reliability. The app absolutely refuses to stay signed in or remember login information consistently. That means when you’re actually standing at a bus stop and need to use it, you’re often locked out until you go through the login process again. If you’re lucky, that’s just a couple minutes. If you’re not, you’re resetting passwords and fighting with verification screens while the bus you were trying to catch drives away.
Public transit apps should reduce friction. This one adds it.
What makes it more frustrating is that the complaints in the reviews are almost identical to what you experience using it. That strongly suggests the designers either didn’t test the app in real commuting situations or simply didn’t prioritize the rider experience when building it.
At the moment, the app feels less like a convenience and more like a downloadable obstacle placed between riders and the bus they’re trying to board.
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Can’t even register
The app was so bad that I can’t even register for my account. Please fix it
Trash
Bring back the (OC Bus) app! It was so much easier and more efficient. Wave app has no daily passes or monthly passes that I can purchase! Y’all just made it worse and more frustrating to ride the bus!
Stop logging users out!
Constantly logging me out. No reason to do this whatsoever. Makes me not want to use it ever, and I won’t. I will pay with my credit card or cash. No thanks.
It keeps signing me out
Why does this app keep signing me out I rather get a physical card then deal with this app again
