BIKETOWNpdx vs BFT CONNECT
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BIKETOWNpdx
Access Portland's electric bike share system to unlock and pay for rides directly from your phone. Explore the city with a greener, healthier transportation option. The app also provides real-time public transit information.
- Unlock electric bikes
- Pay for rides
- Find nearby bikes
- View transit departures
- Purchase memberships
- Purchase single rides
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The official app for BIKETOWN, Portland’s bike share system. BIKETOWN consists of a fleet of specially designed, sturdy and durable electric bikes that can be locked at any BIKETOWN station or bike rack throughout the city. Bike share is a greener, healthier way to get around — whether you’re commuting, running errands, meeting friends, or exploring in a new city. The BIKETOWN App gives you access to hundreds of bikes in your area — unlock and pay directly from the app and get going. The BIKETOWN App also shows upcoming public transit departures, including train lines, local buses, and streetcars. Within the app, you can either purchase an annual BIKETOWN membership or single rides. Happy riding!
BFT CONNECT
Book on-demand, shared rides within designated transit zones. Connect easily to the bus network for convenient and affordable travel, reducing emissions. Rides are shared with others heading in the same direction for efficiency.
- On-demand ride booking
- Shared rides with others
- Corner-to-corner pickup
- Connect to bus network
- Affordable fares
- Reduced carbon emissions
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Get on-demand, convenient and affordable rides within any one of our six CONNECT zones: Central Richland, West Richland & Badger Mountain, Columbia Center & South Richland, West Pasco, East Pasco and Finley & Central Kennewick. Ride 7 days a week to popular pre-determined destinations within the service zone of your origin and connect to or from the BFT bus network with ease. Remember, your ride must begin and end in the same zone. 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. All rides are a pre-communicated low price, no surprises. BFT CONNECT also offers passes and concessions for eligible riders. 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 your city a little bit greener and cleaner, every time you ride. Questions? Reach out at support-bft@ridewithvia.com. Loving your experience so far? Throw us a 5-star rating. You’ll have our eternal gratitude.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: BIKETOWNpdx at weekly against BFT CONNECT's monthly. BIKETOWNpdx also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 132). BFT CONNECT's advantage is review sentiment (38% vs 21%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BIKETOWNpdx holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BIKETOWNpdx has 2.1K ratings behind it against 132, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 21% of BIKETOWNpdx's written reviews are positive against 38% of BFT CONNECT's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
BIKETOWNpdx ships an update weekly, BFT CONNECT monthly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | BIKETOWNpdx | BFT CONNECT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (2.1K ratings) — better | 4.4 (132 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 20.8% of reviews | 37.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K — better | 132 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 249 MB | 129 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lyft, Inc. | Via Transportation, Inc. |
Customer experience
BIKETOWNpdx
BFT CONNECT
Bugs and requests
BIKETOWNpdx
Reported bugs
3 issues- Bikes not unlocking or locking properly
- App freezing or crashing
- Inaccurate location data and bike availability
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to rent multiple bikes at once
- Better bike station map integration
- Improved app responsiveness and stability
- More affordable pricing options
BFT CONNECT
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BIKETOWNpdx
No in-app purchases
BFT CONNECT
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BIKETOWNpdx free?
Is BFT CONNECT free?
Which has better reviews, BIKETOWNpdx or BFT CONNECT?
Do BIKETOWNpdx or BFT CONNECT have ads?
Which is updated more often, BIKETOWNpdx or BFT CONNECT?
Other comparisons
