MassDOT BusPlus vs MWRTA Catch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MassDOT BusPlus
Purchase and use intercity and commuter bus tickets directly from your phone. Plan your trip, select tickets, create an account, and activate your ticket to show the driver. An internet connection is needed for purchase, but tickets can be used offline.
- Purchase bus tickets
- Use tickets offline
- Plan trips
- Secure payments
- Account creation
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The official mobile ticketing app of BusPlus – a program of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The BusPlus app lets you purchase and use intercity and commuter bus tickets instantly on your phone. Here’s how it works: 1. Plan a trip by selecting an origin, destination, and schedule 2. Choose the type of ticket and quantity 3. Create an account and link your credit/debit card to complete checkout 4. Activate your ticket and show it to the bus driver An internet connection is required to purchase tickets, but you can use your ticket(s) offline. All personal information and payments are securely transmitted and stored. Please contact support@bytemark.co for customer service assistance. Any comments or suggestions you may have are welcome. We are aware of problems with the scanning feature while adding new credit cards, and are working to correct this issue.
MWRTA Catch
Track the real-time location of buses for the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. Provide feedback directly to the transit authority about your experience.
- Real-time bus tracking
- Route information
- Trip planning
- Submit feedback
- Transit authority updates
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MWRTA Bus Tracking and Feedback App for MetroWest Regional Transit Authority in Framingham, MA
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MassDOT BusPlus at 4.4 against MWRTA Catch's 3.6. MassDOT BusPlus also leads on ratings volume (259 vs 25) and review sentiment (59% vs 50%). MWRTA Catch's advantage is iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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.
MassDOT BusPlus holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MassDOT BusPlus has 259 ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of MassDOT BusPlus's written reviews are positive against 50% of MWRTA Catch's.
MassDOT BusPlus ships an update every 9 months, MWRTA Catch every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MassDOT BusPlus | MWRTA Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (259 ratings) — better | 3.6 (25 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 59.3% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 259 — better | 25 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 108 MB | 116 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bytemark, Inc. | MetroWest Regional Transit Authority |
Customer experience
MassDOT BusPlus
MWRTA Catch
Bugs and requests
MassDOT BusPlus
Reported bugs
10 issues- Purchased tickets disappear after first day
- App glitches and logs out users
- Login and account creation errors
- QR codes for tickets not working
- Lost money due to voided tickets
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Inability to display passes after first day
- Autocomplete for location searching is broken
- Time zone error preventing login
- Purchased passes disappear from history
- Weekly passes only display on activation day
Requested features
6 requests- Discount bus pass for days remaining before free bus
- Post more information on the application
- Allow adding TAP card for reduced fare
- Add Apple Wallet support for passes
- Improve trip planner functionality
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Make app more intuitive/easier to learn
MWRTA Catch
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
MassDOT BusPlus
No in-app purchases
MWRTA Catch
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is MassDOT BusPlus free?
Is MWRTA Catch free?
Which has better reviews, MassDOT BusPlus or MWRTA Catch?
Do MassDOT BusPlus or MWRTA Catch have ads?
Which is updated more often, MassDOT BusPlus or MWRTA Catch?
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