Need vs Stagecoach Bus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Need
Easily book and track taxis with this updated passenger app. Features include real-time vehicle tracking, status notifications, and flexible payment options. Schedule rides for specific times and save favorite locations for quick bookings.
- Order a taxi
- Cancel a booking
- Track vehicle location
- Real-time status notifications
- Pay by cash or card
- Schedule future pick-ups
- Save favorite locations
Read full descriptionHide full description
Presenting the brand new version of the Need-A-Cab Plymouth passenger app. Besides the new design and powerful capabilities, the new passenger app allows for much better location tracking with minimal battery usage. Through this app you can: • Order a taxi • Cancel a booking • Track the vehicle on the map as it makes its way towards you! • Receive real-time notifications of the status of your taxi • Pay by cash or with card • Order a taxi for an exact pick-up time • Store your favourite pick up points for easy booking
Stagecoach Bus
Plan your bus journeys, track buses in real-time, and purchase mobile tickets securely. Features an interactive map to view services and stops, with options to save favorite routes.
- Interactive route map
- Real-time bus tracking
- Find nearest stops
- Save favorite journeys
- Secure mobile ticket purchase
- Instant ticket delivery
Read full descriptionHide full description
Use the app to see bus information on your mobile, plan your journey, check when your bus will arrive, search for the right mobile ticket and buy securely on your phone all in one place. App Features: *Interactive map* We’ve made it easier to travel on our buses with a new interactive map, showing all of our services and stops – simply tap on a bus or stop to find your journey information. *Latest bus information* Check when your bus will arrive and how far away from you it is. *Find the right stop for you* View your nearest bus services and stops wherever you are, which buses stop there and what routes they take. *Favourites* Save your favourite journeys, bus services and stops to make journey planning even easier. *Mobile tickets:* Buy mobile tickets safely and securely and your tickets will appear instantly on your phone ready to use. Simply activate your ticket when you're ready to board and show it to the driver. Stagecoach buses run in the following areas: Aberdeenshire Alton and Petersfield Alyth Blairgowrie and Coupar Angus Andover and Salisbury Arbroath Montrose and the Mearns Coast Ashford Aviemore Ayrshire and Arran Barnsley Barrow and Furness Basingstoke Bedfordshire Blackwater Valley Caithness Cambridgeshire Canterbury Cardiff Carlisle Penrith and Wigton Cheltenham Cheshire Chesterfield Chichester and Bognor Regis Cirencester Clackmannanshire Falkirk and Stirling Doncaster Dover Dronfield Dumfries and Galloway Dundee Dunfermline and West Fife Eastbourne East Devon Edinburgh Folkestone Forest of Dean Forfar and Brechin Fort William Gainsborough Glasgow Glenrothes Leven and Kirkcaldy Gloucester Greater Exeter Grimsby Cleethorpes Guildford and South Surrey Gwent Hartlepool Hastings Herefordshire Highland Perthshire Hull Inverness Kendal and The Lakes Lancashire Leicestershire Lincoln Manchester Mansfield Merseyside Merthyr Tydfil Milton Keynes Moray Morecambe and Lancaster Newark Newcastle upon Tyne Norfolk Northamptonshire North Cornwall North Devon Orkney Oxfordshire Perth Peterborough Plymouth Portsmouth and Havant Powys Retford Rhondda Cynon Taf Rotherham Salford Scunthorpe Sheffield Skegness Skye Somerset South Hams South Perthshire South Shields Staffordshire St Andrews Cupar and the East Neuk Stockport Stroud Sunderland Swindon Tameside Teesside Teignbridge Tewkesbury Thanet Torbay Wakefield Warwickshire and Coventry West Cumbria West Devon West Perthshire Wigan Winchester Worcestershire Worksop Worthing and Brighton
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Need at 52% against Stagecoach Bus's 10%. Need also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Stagecoach Bus's advantage is ratings volume (813 vs 8) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Need holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stagecoach Bus has 813 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Need's written reviews are positive against 10% of Stagecoach Bus's.
Need ships an update every 2 months, Stagecoach Bus monthly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Need | Stagecoach Bus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (8 ratings) — better | 4.6 (813 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 52.5% of reviews — better | 10.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 813 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 145 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Needacab Taxis | Stagecoach Group plc |
Customer experience
Need
Stagecoach Bus
User reviews
Need
From 8 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Friendly and nice drivers
- 👍 Prompt and friendly service
- 👍 Professional and friendly drivers
- 👍 Knowledgeable drivers
- 👍 Comfortable vehicles
Room to improve
- 🐛 Taxis take ages to arrive
- 🐛 Taxis are at the other end of the city
- 🐛 Let down on multiple occasions
- 😞 Rudest driver encountered
- 💰 Price too steep
Stagecoach Bus
From 813 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient ticket purchase
- 👍 Good for frequent travelers
Room to improve
- 🐛 Apple Pay not working
- 🐛 Unreliable bus tracking
- 🐛 Inaccurate timetables
- 🐛 Glitchy app performance
- 🐛 Difficult to navigate
Bugs and requests
Need
Reported bugs
21 issues- App doesn't work
- Booked cab didn't turn up
- No record of booking
- Drivers don't turn up
- Cab won't arrive on time
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Can't prebook with the app
- Useless app
- No cabs available
- Poor app
- Takes many attempts to get a taxi
- App not functional
- Error message when booking
- App doesn't work for certain routes
- App unusable for pre-booking
- Pickup location erases and enters nearest address
- Lots of errors and warnings
- Inconsistent text messages
- App constantly crashing
- Cannot pay with card
- App says cannot find a route
- Extra deductions from card
Requested features
8 requests- Improve taxi availability
- Better driver training for rudeness
- Lower taxi prices
- Fix app booking errors
- Ensure pre-bookings are honored
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Improve app stability
- Allow payment by card in app
- Fix route finding errors
Stagecoach Bus
Reported bugs
3 issues- Routes disappearing from app
- Ticket purchases failing
- Inability to purchase youth/student tickets
Requested features
3 requests- More regional voice announcers
- Improved bus cancellation notifications
- Better integration with mobile payment options
In-app purchases
Need
No in-app purchases
Stagecoach Bus
No in-app purchases









