Comparison

OurBus vs Harvard Van

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

Head to head
About

OurBus

Easily book intercity bus tickets across the US. Compare routes, manage your trip, and access digital boarding passes. Enjoy live bus tracking and onboard amenities for a comfortable journey.

Highlights
  • Book bus tickets online
  • Compare schedules and routes
  • Manage trip details
  • Digital boarding passes
  • Live bus tracking
  • Onboard amenities
Features
Read full description

Find cheap bus travel with OurBus, the convenient bus app for booking intercity trips across the United States. Search routes, compare schedules, book bus tickets online, manage your trip, and keep your boarding pass right on your phone. BOOK BUS TICKETS WITH EASE Looking for bus tickets for your next city-to-city trip? OurBus makes bus booking simple from start to finish. Choose your origin and destination, select your travel date, find your preferred departure, and book your seat in just a few taps. With digital tickets and mobile boarding passes, your bus travel is paperless and convenient. FIND CHEAP BUS TICKETS & GREAT VALUE Find affordable fares for popular routes across the United States. OurBus helps you discover cheap bus tickets and convenient departure options without the hassle of driving, parking, or managing a complicated itinerary. Plus, you can save $15 on every ride you book using the SuperSaver Pass. Check available trips, choose the option that works for you, and book bus tickets directly in the app. LIVE BUS TRACKING & TRIP UPDATES Stay informed before and during your trip with live bus tracking. See the location of your bus when tracking is available, and receive important updates about delays, schedule changes, or stop information through app notifications and text messages. With OurBus, the information you need for your journey stays in one place. COMFORTABLE INTERCITY BUS TRAVEL Travel between cities with comfortable onboard amenities designed to make your journey easier. Depending on the service, amenities can include reclining seats, free Wi-Fi, charging ports, bottled water, and restrooms. POPULAR BUS ROUTES OurBus connects travelers across hundreds of routes and more than 100 bus stops. Popular travel corridors include: • New York to Boston • New York to Philadelphia • New York to Washington, DC • New York to Baltimore • New York to Binghamton • New York to State College • Chicago to Madison • New York to Ithaca • New York to Buffalo • Syracuse to New York • New York to Atlantic City • Boston to New York • Boston to Albany • Boston to Ithaca • Washington, DC to New York • Philadelphia to New York Route availability, schedules, stops, and service can vary by date and demand. MANAGE YOUR TRIP ON THE GO Your OurBus account makes it easy to access upcoming trips, view your booking details, manage reservations, and keep your digital boarding pass available while you travel. Check your trip information whenever you need it, directly from the bus app. MADE FOR STUDENTS AND WEEKEND TRIPS Heading home for the break, visiting family, or escaping the city for a few days? Our campus routes connect university towns like Ithaca, State College, Blacksburg, Ann Arbor and College Station to major hubs, so an affordable seat is never far away. Book bus tickets online in advance for holiday weekends, when the best departures fill up first. WHY TRAVEL WITH OURBUS? • Book bus tickets online in a few simple steps • Find affordable fares across hundreds of routes • Keep your digital boarding pass on your phone • Use live bus tracking when available • Get important trip and stop updates • Travel with convenient onboard amenities • Manage your booking from your phone • Explore popular destinations across the United States Whether you are commuting between cities, visiting family, planning a weekend getaway, or taking a longer trip, OurBus makes intercity bus travel easier from booking to arrival. Download OurBus and make your next bus trip simple, comfortable, and connected.

About

Harvard Van

Book on-demand shuttle rides around the Harvard University campus. Select your pickup and drop-off locations, track your van in real-time, and enjoy a safe and convenient travel experience. Matches riders going in the same direction for efficient routing.

Highlights
  • On-demand shuttle booking
  • Real-time van tracking
  • Customized and flexible routing
  • Campus-wide service area
  • Estimated pickup ETAs
  • Safe and convenient travel
Features
Read full description

The Harvard Evening Van app enables Harvard students, faculty, and administrators to book on-demand shuttle rides during the Evening Van service hours. The Harvard Evening Van app enables you to book a van to and from anywhere within the campus service area. Harvard Evening Van provides you a safe, convenient travel experience in and around the Harvard University campus. With the app you will be able to select your pick up location, tell us where you want to go, and track your van so you know when to head to the pick up location. The Harvard Evening Van is proudly operated by Harvard Transportation and powered by Via. A new way to get around the Harvard University campus The Harvard Evening Van matches customers with others going in the same direction via a customized and flexible route. Sophisticated technology coordinates your trip, picking you up from near your location or a convenient location nearby, and taking you to where you want to go within the service zone. On-demand On average, a vehicle will come in minutes, and you'll always get an estimate of your pickup ETA before booking. You can also track your van in real-time in the app. Try Harvard Evening Van, a new way to get around the Harvard University campus. Love our app? Please rate us! Questions? Email us at shuttle@harvard.edu

Screenshots

OurBus4 screens
Harvard Van4 screens

Verdict

The call

OurBus and Harvard Van both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 60% of Harvard Van's written reviews are positive against 35% of OurBus's. OurBus's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for OurBus against 4.7 for Harvard Van. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OurBus has 6K ratings behind it against 170, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 35% of OurBus's written reviews are positive against 60% of Harvard Van's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OurBus ships an update weekly, Harvard Van every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
OurBus versus Harvard Van: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOurBusHarvard Van
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6K ratings)4.7 (170 ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.8% of reviews60.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6K — better170
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB129 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOurBusVia Transportation, Inc.

Customer experience

OurBus

All ratings5,967 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral1.8%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews201 reviews
Positive34.8%
Neutral4.5%
Negative60.7%

Harvard Van

All ratings170 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Bugs and requests

OurBus

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App login issues
  • Inaccurate bus tracking information
  • Difficulty using digital tickets and passes

Requested features

5 requests
  • More transparent pricing and fees
  • Better communication about delays and cancellations
  • Improved app functionality and reliability
  • Ability to easily track bus locations in real-time
  • More flexible rescheduling and cancellation policies

Harvard Van

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

OurBus

No in-app purchases

None

Harvard Van

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OurBus free?
OurBus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Harvard Van free?
Harvard Van is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, OurBus or Harvard Van?
Harvard Van is rated higher. OurBus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6K ratings, while Harvard Van averages 4.7 from 170 ratings.
Do OurBus or Harvard Van have ads?
Neither OurBus nor Harvard Van shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OurBus or Harvard Van?
OurBus ships an update weekly, and Harvard Van every 5 weeks. Most recently, OurBus was updated on November 11, 2026 and Harvard Van on November 6, 2026.

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