Comparison

MassDOT BusPlus vs WRTA Rider

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Purchase bus tickets
  • Use tickets offline
  • Plan trips
  • Secure payments
  • Account creation
Features
Read full description

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.

About

WRTA Rider

Book on-demand rides in Worcester County with this smart, easy, and affordable service. The app matches you with others heading in the same direction for efficient, shared transit. Save money and reduce your carbon footprint with every trip.

Highlights
  • Book on-demand rides
  • Shared rides with others
  • Corner-to-corner matching algorithm
  • Affordable fares
  • Reduced carbon emissions
  • Easy mobile booking
Features
Read full description

Think of WRTA Rider as a whole new way to get around Worcester County — a ridesharing service that’s smart, easy, and affordable. With a few taps, book an on-demand ride in the app, and our technology will pair you with other people headed your way. No detours, no delays. How it works: - Book a ride on your phone. - Get picked up on a nearby corner. - Share your ride with others. - Save cash and reduce carbon emissions. What we’re about: SHARED. Our corner-to-corner algorithm matches people headed in the same direction. This means you’re getting the convenience and comfort of a private ride with the efficiency, speed, and affordability of a public one. AFFORDABLE. Aggregating people into one vehicle brings down prices. Enough said. SUSTAINABLE. Sharing rides reduces the number of vehicles on the roads, bringing down congestion and CO2 emissions. With a couple of taps, you get to do your part to make Worcester County a little bit greener and cleaner every time you ride. Questions? Reach out at support-worcester@ridewithvia.com. Loving your experience so far? Throw us a 5-star rating.

Screenshots

MassDOT BusPlus4 screens
WRTA Rider4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MassDOT BusPlus at 59% against WRTA Rider's 0%. MassDOT BusPlus also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). WRTA Rider's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 9 months). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

WRTA Rider holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 277 and 126 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 59% of MassDOT BusPlus's written reviews are positive against 0% of WRTA Rider's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MassDOT BusPlus ships an update every 9 months, WRTA Rider every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MassDOT BusPlus versus WRTA Rider: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMassDOT BusPlusWRTA Rider
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (277 ratings)4.9 (126 ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings277 — better126
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size108 MB129 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBytemark, Inc.Via Transportation, Inc.

Customer experience

MassDOT BusPlus

All ratings259 ratings
Positive82.6%
Neutral5.0%
Negative12.4%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative32.2%

WRTA Rider

All ratings126 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

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 more
  • 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 more
  • Make app more intuitive/easier to learn

WRTA Rider

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MassDOT BusPlus

No in-app purchases

None

WRTA Rider

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MassDOT BusPlus free?
MassDOT BusPlus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WRTA Rider free?
WRTA Rider is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MassDOT BusPlus or WRTA Rider?
WRTA Rider is rated higher. MassDOT BusPlus averages 4.3 out of 5 from 277 ratings, while WRTA Rider averages 4.9 from 126 ratings.
Do MassDOT BusPlus or WRTA Rider have ads?
Neither MassDOT BusPlus nor WRTA Rider shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MassDOT BusPlus or WRTA Rider?
MassDOT BusPlus ships an update every 9 months, and WRTA Rider every 6 weeks. Most recently, MassDOT BusPlus was updated on November 6, 2026 and WRTA Rider on November 8, 2026.

Other comparisons