Transit GO Ticket vs STA Connect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Transit GO Ticket
Purchase bus, rail, and water taxi tickets directly from your mobile device. Avoid the hassle of carrying cash and use this app for various transit services across King County and Kitsap.
- Mobile ticket purchasing
- Bus, rail, and water taxi tickets
- King County Metro
- Sound Transit Express Bus
- Seattle Streetcar
- Kitsap Transit
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The Transit Go Ticket App allows riders to buy bus, rail and water taxi tickets using their mobile device. No more worries about carrying cash for transit fare, Transit Go Ticket is good on King County Metro Buses, Sound Transit Express Bus, Light Rail and Sounder, King County Water Taxi, Seattle Streetcar and Kitsap Transit routed buses and fast ferry. Learn more at: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/fares-orca/transit-go-ticket.aspx
STA Connect
Manage your transit fare cards, add value, and track your spending. This app allows you to link physical cards or create virtual ones, view your balance, and monitor fare capping progress. It also supports autoload and provides a history of your rides.
- Link physical or create virtual fare cards
- Add value and passes
- Check card balance
- View fare capping progress
- Enable autoload
- Lock lost/stolen cards
- Manage payment methods
- View ride history
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The Spokane Transit Authority (STA) Connect app is packed full of features! With the STA Connect app you can: - Link a physical Connect card or create a virtual eConnect card - Add value or passes - Check your balance - View fare capping progress - Enable autoload - Lock lost or stolen cards - Manage payment methods - View card activity, including ride history Virtual eConnect cards are separate from physical Connect cards. eConnect cards are completely virtual and exist only in your mobile phone. Every card, whether physical or eConnect, has a unique 20 digit number, and that 20 digit number has its own separate balances and fare capping totals from any other Connect card number, even when linked within the same STA Connect app account profile. To add value to an eConnect or physical Connect card, simply add a credit or debit card to your Connect account, then add value to your cart and check out. With value added to your card, you are ready to ride! Please note that no refund can be given on funds loaded to a physical or eConnect card. When you board the bus, bring up the fare payment QR code and hold your phone approximately eight inches below the fare validator with the screen facing up. When your eConnect card has been validated and fare collected, you’ll hear a beep and see a green check mark. Riders with a Universal Transit Access Pass (UTAP) through a local university (e.g. EWU, Gonzaga, SCC, SFCC, Whitworth, or WSU Spokane), employer (e.g. City of Spokane or Spokane County), or other partner agency (e.g. Kendall Yards) can now link their UTAP to their virtual Connect card directly in the STA Connect app. Simply register with your UTAP email address and use the “Partner Agency” widget on the home screen to get started. Learn more about the Connect fare system at spokanetransit.com/connect/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Transit GO Ticket at 4.5 against STA Connect's 2.2. Transit GO Ticket also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (24K vs 42). STA Connect's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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.
Transit GO Ticket holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Transit GO Ticket has 24K ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 17% and 16% positive.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Transit GO Ticket | STA Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (24K ratings) — better | 2.2 (42 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews — better | 16.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 24K — better | 42 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 110 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bytemark, Inc. | Spokane Transit Authority |
Customer experience
Transit GO Ticket
STA Connect
Bugs and requests
Transit GO Ticket
Reported bugs
4 issues- Tickets disappearing before use
- Constant log-out issues
- Activation errors and crashes
- Inability to manage purchased tickets
Requested features
4 requests- Integrate with ORCA card system
- Add support for all transit providers
- Improve trip planning and routing
- Provide better user guidance and instructions
STA Connect
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Transit GO Ticket
No in-app purchases
STA Connect
No in-app purchases
