Comparison

Bluebikes vs Terrier Transit

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

Head to head
About

Bluebikes

This app provides access to a public bike share system in Metro-Boston. Users can find nearby stations, check bike and dock availability in real-time, purchase passes, and unlock bikes for convenient, one-way travel. It's ideal for commutes, errands, and exploring the city.

Highlights
  • Find nearby stations
  • Real-time bike/dock availability
  • Purchase passes
  • Unlock bikes
  • Track ride time
  • Save favorite stations
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Bluebikes is metro-Boston’s public bike share system. With thousands of bikes available 24/7 at hundreds of stations throughout Metro-Boston, Bluebikes is one of the most popular bike shares in the country. Use the app to find your closest station and purchase a pass. Then unlock one of Bluebikes' safe, sturdy, easy to ride bikes, and get riding right away. When you’re done riding, simply return the bike to an available dock at any station in the network. The app will show you all station locations, with real-time bike and dock availability, and you can save your favorites for later reference. Tap a station pin or location and the app will show you the best route to get there. Ideal for one-way trips, commutes to work or school, running errands, meeting friends for dinner, going to a game, or just cruising around metro-Boston to see the sights. All trips under 45 minutes are included for members (the app will track your time for you). Take as many rides as you want during the term of your pass. Enjoy the ride!

About

Terrier Transit

Navigate Boston University's campus and city transit with real-time arrival times, service alerts, and step-by-step directions. Plan your journeys efficiently using buses, trains, and bikes, with options for offline maps and international travel.

Highlights
  • Real-time arrival updates
  • Service disruption alerts
  • Step-by-step transit directions
  • User-reported issue notifications
  • Favorite lines and stations
  • Integrated bike route planning
  • Offline map viewing
Features
Read full description

Terrier Transit is your key to getting to, from, and around Boston University. Transportation is an integral part of life at Boston University. Whether you ride the BU Shuttle (BUS), the T, MBTA buses, or a Bluebike, to reach classes, labs, dorms, or dining halls, getting the best urban mobility information is critical – from trips to between campuses or just up and down Commonwealth Avenue. Enter BU’s Terrier Transit app, powered by Moovit! Terrier Transit guides you from point A to B in the easiest and most efficient way. Get T and bus times, maps, and real-time arrival times with ease so you can plan your trip with confidence. Find critical alerts and service disruptions for your favorite lines, including the BUS. Get step-by-step directions of optimal route bus, train, metro, bike, scooter or a combination of them. Terrier Transit is your personal assistant for trips on-campus and off! ► Real time arrivals. View real-time arrival updates, which are taken directly from GPS devices positioned on BU buses and MBTA buses and trains. Avoid wasting time guessing train times or bus times. ► Real time alerts. Know about issues ahead of time by receiving MBTA and BU service alerts such as emergency or unexpected disruptions, delays, traffic jams, new construction, and more so that you can plan ahead if your bus time or train time changed. ► Live Directions. Get step-by-step bus directions and other transit directions with live guidance from A-to-B: Know how long you need to walk to your station, view the arrival time of your line, receive get-off alerts at your destination, and more. ► Users reports. Terrier Transit’s users report issues found with stations, line service, and schedules so that we can inform all nearby riders about what’s going on in their area. ► Favorite lines, stations, and places. Always going between Central Campus and BUMC? Get easy access to lines, stations, and places you ride and visit all the time. Plus, get real-time updates if/when there are changes to your favorite lines in case your bus time or train time is impacted! ► Bike routes. Get bike routes in addition to the bus, subway, train, or metro trip plans. If you ride bikes (yours or shared) we can plan a route that includes the train or bus. Terrier Transit will help you plan a trip that meets your transit-needs. Bluebikes station data is updated in real-time. ► Maps view. Interested in seeing the whole picture? View all stations, routes, and lines on the subway or bus map. Additionally, maps are available in PDF for when you’re offline, or underground on the subway. ► International functionality. Terrier Transit isn’t just for getting around campus. It will also work for study abroad and trips home. The app can be used to navigate nearby buses and transit nationwide and across 98 other countries. If you’d like to know bus times and train times in London, Barcelona, Madrid, or Rome, or, if you need to find out when the last bus leaves a certain bus stop in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Melbourne, Seoul, Terrier Transit has you covered. You ride, we guide! *** Have an idea or a question? Feel free to contact us: http://bu.edu/thebus

Screenshots

Bluebikes4 screens
Terrier Transit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bluebikes at 4.4 against Terrier Transit's 2.6. Bluebikes also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (38% vs 17%). Terrier Transit's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, 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

Bluebikes holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebikes has 2.3K ratings behind it against 162, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Bluebikes's written reviews are positive against 17% of Terrier Transit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bluebikes ships an update weekly, Terrier Transit every 6 months. Both last shipped on September 27, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Bluebikes versus Terrier Transit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBluebikesTerrier Transit
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (2.3K ratings) — better2.6 (162 ratings)
Positive reviews38.3% of reviews — better16.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2.3K — better162
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#191 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size248 MB176 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLyft Bikes and Scooters, LLCBoston University

Customer experience

Bluebikes

All ratings2,250 ratings
Positive85.2%
Neutral1.6%
Negative13.2%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive38.3%
Neutral3.4%
Negative58.3%

Terrier Transit

All ratings148 ratings
Positive36.5%
Neutral3.4%
Negative60.1%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative81.0%

User reviews

Bluebikes

From 2.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient bike sharing service
  • 🚲 Bikes in good condition
  • 💡 Helpful app features (route planning, bike/dock availability)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable docking stations and bikes
  • 🤯 Confusing and misleading pricing
  • 🔍 Lack of transparency in app and customer service
  • 🤖 Poor customer service and responsiveness
  • 🤔 Buggy and glitchy app

Terrier Transit

From 162 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Sometimes works
  • 👍 Useful for tracking school bus
  • 👍 Appreciates integration of other transit (rare)
  • 👍 Real-time shuttle information (when working)

Room to improve

  • 😞 Buses are never on time
  • 😞 Live tracking is inaccurate or not working
  • 😞 App is non-functional or useless
  • 😞 Buses are cancelled frequently
  • 😞 UI is confusing and difficult to navigate

Bugs and requests

Bluebikes

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to log in or create account
  • Incorrect bike and dock availability information
  • Unreliable bike locking and unlocking
  • Unexpected charges and billing issues
  • App crashes and freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved bike and dock availability tracking
  • Better route planning and navigation
  • Integration with Apple Health/Fitness apps
  • Ability to report issues with bikes and docks
  • More user-friendly app interface

Terrier Transit

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Live feature never working
  • Tracking is wrong or doesn't work
  • Does not show real time
  • Live location not always updating
  • Stops don't show up in favorites
Show 4 more
  • App glitches and can't see bus arrival
  • Update alert pop-up won't go away
  • App is non-functional
  • Live bus tracker missing

Requested features

7 requests
  • Make app like Apple Maps or Google Maps
  • Improve UI and navigation
  • Fix live location updating
  • Fix update alert pop-up
  • Simplify features
Show 2 more
  • Bring back old app's live tracker
  • Focus on BU shuttle tracking

In-app purchases

None

Bluebikes

No in-app purchases

None

Terrier Transit

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bluebikes free?
Bluebikes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Terrier Transit free?
Terrier Transit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bluebikes or Terrier Transit?
Bluebikes is rated higher. Bluebikes averages 4.4 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while Terrier Transit averages 2.6 from 162 ratings.
Do Bluebikes or Terrier Transit have ads?
Neither Bluebikes nor Terrier Transit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bluebikes or Terrier Transit?
Bluebikes ships an update weekly, and Terrier Transit every 6 months. Most recently, Bluebikes was updated on September 27, 2026 and Terrier Transit on September 27, 2026.

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