Comparison

Stagecoach Bus vs Bus & Tram

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

Head to head
About

Stagecoach Bus

Plan your bus journeys, track buses in real-time, and purchase mobile tickets securely. Features an interactive map to view services and stops, with options to save favorite routes.

Highlights
  • Interactive route map
  • Real-time bus tracking
  • Find nearest stops
  • Save favorite journeys
  • Secure mobile ticket purchase
  • Instant ticket delivery
Features
Read full description

Use the app to see bus information on your mobile, plan your journey, check when your bus will arrive, search for the right mobile ticket and buy securely on your phone all in one place. App Features: *Interactive map* We’ve made it easier to travel on our buses with a new interactive map, showing all of our services and stops – simply tap on a bus or stop to find your journey information. *Latest bus information* Check when your bus will arrive and how far away from you it is. *Find the right stop for you* View your nearest bus services and stops wherever you are, which buses stop there and what routes they take. *Favourites* Save your favourite journeys, bus services and stops to make journey planning even easier. *Mobile tickets:* Buy mobile tickets safely and securely and your tickets will appear instantly on your phone ready to use. Simply activate your ticket when you're ready to board and show it to the driver. Stagecoach buses run in the following areas: Aberdeenshire Alton and Petersfield Alyth Blairgowrie and Coupar Angus Andover and Salisbury Arbroath Montrose and the Mearns Coast Ashford Aviemore Ayrshire and Arran Barnsley Barrow and Furness Basingstoke Bedfordshire Blackwater Valley Caithness Cambridgeshire Canterbury Cardiff Carlisle Penrith and Wigton Cheltenham Cheshire Chesterfield Chichester and Bognor Regis Cirencester Clackmannanshire Falkirk and Stirling Doncaster Dover Dronfield Dumfries and Galloway Dundee Dunfermline and West Fife Eastbourne East Devon Edinburgh Folkestone Forest of Dean Forfar and Brechin Fort William Gainsborough Glasgow Glenrothes Leven and Kirkcaldy Gloucester Greater Exeter Grimsby Cleethorpes Guildford and South Surrey Gwent Hartlepool Hastings Herefordshire Highland Perthshire Hull Inverness Kendal and The Lakes Lancashire Leicestershire Lincoln Manchester Mansfield Merseyside Merthyr Tydfil Milton Keynes Moray Morecambe and Lancaster Newark Newcastle upon Tyne Norfolk Northamptonshire North Cornwall North Devon Orkney Oxfordshire Perth Peterborough Plymouth Portsmouth and Havant Powys Retford Rhondda Cynon Taf Rotherham Salford Scunthorpe Sheffield Skegness Skye Somerset South Hams South Perthshire South Shields Staffordshire St Andrews Cupar and the East Neuk Stockport Stroud Sunderland Swindon Tameside Teesside Teignbridge Tewkesbury Thanet Torbay Wakefield Warwickshire and Coventry West Cumbria West Devon West Perthshire Wigan Winchester Worcestershire Worksop Worthing and Brighton

About

Bus & Tram

Plan your bus and tram journeys in Edinburgh and the Lothians with real-time arrival information. Purchase mobile tickets directly within the app and receive live updates on delays and diversions.

Highlights
  • Journey planning with interactive map
  • Real-time bus and tram arrival times
  • Mobile ticket purchasing
  • Live travel and service updates
  • Customizable route suggestions
  • Service notifications
Features
Read full description

The new Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams app has everything you need to seamlessly travel on buses and trams in and around Edinburgh and the Lothians. Journey Planning Planning your journey around Edinburgh has never been easier. You can view your location on the interactive map and plan a route to your desired location. You can tailor the results to your travel preferences and we'll show you the most practical routes to get you where you need to be. Real-time Information Stay up to date with all the latest information regarding bus and tram arrival and departure times. The interactive map shows every bus and tram stop around you with subsequent real-time information about services at the selected location. Mobile Ticketing Passengers can now purchase a number of ticket types all on the one app. The app will learn ticket purchase behaviour and can present suggestions for frequently purchased tickets. Make use of our handy filters and find the tickets you need whether you're travelling across the region, in the city or to the Airport. Travel and Service Information The new and updated app can give you live updates about travel and service information, such as delays and diversions. If a stop is selected on the app, passengers will get the most up to date service information regarding the routes that serve the selected stop. Passengers have the opportunity to turn on notifications to get the latest service information straight to their smartphone.

Screenshots

Stagecoach Bus4 screens
Bus & Tram4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bus & Tram at 4.8 against Stagecoach Bus's 4.6. Stagecoach Bus's advantage is ratings volume (806 vs 219) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). 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

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

Bus & Tram holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 806 and 219 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 11% of Stagecoach Bus's written reviews are positive against 15% of Bus & Tram's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stagecoach Bus ships an update monthly, Bus & Tram every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Stagecoach Bus versus Bus & Tram: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStagecoach BusBus & Tram
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (806 ratings)4.8 (219 ratings) — better
Positive reviews10.7% of reviews14.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings806 — better219
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStagecoach Group plcLothian Buses plc

Customer experience

Stagecoach Bus

All ratings806 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral4.1%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews664 reviews
Positive10.7%
Neutral9.0%
Negative80.3%

Bus & Tram

All ratings219 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral0.9%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews309 reviews
Positive14.6%
Neutral7.8%
Negative77.7%

User reviews

Stagecoach Bus

From 806 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient ticket purchase
  • 👍 Good for frequent travelers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Apple Pay not working
  • 🐛 Unreliable bus tracking
  • 🐛 Inaccurate timetables
  • 🐛 Glitchy app performance
  • 🐛 Difficult to navigate

Bus & Tram

From 219 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Improved layout and UI
  • 💡 Ability to purchase tickets in-app

Room to improve

  • 🙁 Worse than previous app
  • 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive navigation
  • 🔍 Harder to find bus schedules and routes
  • 🕰️ Live departure times not accurate
  • 🗺️ Poor map integration and functionality

Bugs and requests

Stagecoach Bus

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Routes disappearing from app
  • Ticket purchases failing
  • Inability to purchase youth/student tickets

Requested features

3 requests
  • More regional voice announcers
  • Improved bus cancellation notifications
  • Better integration with mobile payment options

Bus & Tram

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App refreshes when switching away
  • Address search returns irrelevant results

Requested features

4 requests
  • Bring back 'take me home' button
  • Allow saving of favorite stops without login
  • Integrate live departure times with route planning
  • Improve map view to show bus locations

In-app purchases

None

Stagecoach Bus

No in-app purchases

None

Bus & Tram

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Stagecoach Bus free?
Stagecoach Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bus & Tram free?
Bus & Tram is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Stagecoach Bus or Bus & Tram?
Bus & Tram is rated higher. Stagecoach Bus averages 4.6 out of 5 from 806 ratings, while Bus & Tram averages 4.8 from 219 ratings.
Do Stagecoach Bus or Bus & Tram have ads?
Neither Stagecoach Bus nor Bus & Tram shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stagecoach Bus or Bus & Tram?
Stagecoach Bus ships an update monthly, and Bus & Tram every 3 weeks. Most recently, Stagecoach Bus was updated on September 23, 2026 and Bus & Tram on September 24, 2026.

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