Comparison

MTA TrainTime vs BusWhere for HWS

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

Head to head
About

MTA TrainTime

This app allows railroad customers to buy and use tickets, plan journeys, and track trains in real-time. It offers features like split payments, multi-station trip planning, and real-time GPS tracking for a seamless travel experience.

Highlights
  • Buy and use railroad tickets
  • Plan trips with departure times
  • Real-time GPS train tracking
  • View train car layouts and crowding
  • Split ticket payments
  • Share trip details
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The TrainTime app provides a one-stop shop for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad customers, where riders can buy and use tickets, plan their trips, track their trains, and more. • Buy tickets with Apple Pay or credit/debit card. Split payment between two cards. • Plan trips with departure times and transfer details before you travel. You can also search for two origin and/or two destination stations at once. • Save your frequent trains for easy access • Share trips with family and friends so they know when to expect you • Follow your trip with real-time GPS tracking, updated every few seconds • See the layout of your train and how crowded each car is • Chat with a customer service representative for either LIRR or Metro-North within the app

About

BusWhere for HWS

Track shuttle bus locations in real-time and receive arrival time estimates for any stop. Get alerts when your bus is approaching and view multiple buses on a route. Administrators can manage the fleet and view detailed logs.

Highlights
  • Real-time bus tracking
  • Up-to-the-minute ETAs
  • Arrival alerts
  • Multiple bus visibility
  • Automatic bus configuration
  • Fleet map view
  • Interactive logs
Features
Read full description

BusWhere for HWS is offered by Hobart And William Smith Colleges to enhance the experience of HWS students, staff, and visitors as they use the shuttle bus system. The BusWhere app will let you know when the next shuttle bus will arrive at any stop along the route. FEATURES FOR RIDERS - Watch the bus move in real-time - Up-to-the-minute ETAs at any stop - Get an alert when the bus is getting close to a stop - See ETAs for the next available bus, if multiple buses are running a route FEATURES FOR ADMINISTRATORS - Any Bus, Any Route: No need to move devices or reconfigure as buses move on and off routes due to maintenance or inspections. BusWhere figures out which bus is running the route and automatically adjusts! - Fleet map with all your buses on the map at the same time - Interactive logs to easily view what happened on any day, including bus position, addresses, and speeds

Screenshots

MTA TrainTime4 screens
BusWhere for HWS2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: MTA TrainTime at 4.9 against BusWhere for HWS's 2.5. MTA TrainTime also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (211K vs 8). 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

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

MTA TrainTime holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MTA TrainTime has 211K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MTA TrainTime ships an update weekly, BusWhere for HWS every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
MTA TrainTime versus BusWhere for HWS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMTA TrainTimeBusWhere for HWS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (211K ratings) — better2.5 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews52.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings211K — better8
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#10 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size130 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMetropolitan Transportation AuthorityBusWhere

Customer experience

MTA TrainTime

All ratings211,104 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews444 reviews
Positive52.0%
Neutral3.6%
Negative44.4%

BusWhere for HWS

All ratings8 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative62.5%

Bugs and requests

MTA TrainTime

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Ticket purchase failures
  • Device blocked from purchasing tickets
  • Incorrect track information displayed

Requested features

4 requests
  • Apple Watch support
  • Ability to plan trips for future dates
  • More detailed crowding/capacity information
  • Improved search and filtering options

BusWhere for HWS

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MTA TrainTime

No in-app purchases

None

BusWhere for HWS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MTA TrainTime free?
MTA TrainTime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BusWhere for HWS free?
BusWhere for HWS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MTA TrainTime or BusWhere for HWS?
MTA TrainTime is rated higher. MTA TrainTime averages 4.9 out of 5 from 211K ratings, while BusWhere for HWS averages 2.5 from 8 ratings.
Do MTA TrainTime or BusWhere for HWS have ads?
Neither MTA TrainTime nor BusWhere for HWS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MTA TrainTime or BusWhere for HWS?
MTA TrainTime ships an update weekly, and BusWhere for HWS every 5 months. Most recently, MTA TrainTime was updated on October 25, 2026 and BusWhere for HWS on October 21, 2026.

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