SBMTD BusTracker vs SMRTpay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SBMTD BusTracker
This app provides real-time bus arrival estimates and tracks bus locations on a map. Easily find nearby stops and routes, and bookmark your favorite locations for quick access.
- Real-time bus arrival information
- Track bus location on map
- Locate nearby bus stops and routes
- Bookmark favorite stops
- Link to complete schedules
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Santa Barbara MTD BusTracker takes the guesswork out of catching the bus. It uses GPS to provide estimated times of arrival at any bus stop in the system and tracks the current locations of buses on a map. The app is easy to use and it's FREE! Features: • Real-time bus arrival information • Track current bus location on a map • Locate nearby bus stops and routes • Bookmark favorite bus stops • Link to complete schedules
SMRTpay
Plan your public transit journeys, purchase tickets, and validate them all within a single, intuitive application. This app offers real-time departure and arrival information, secure payment options, and a digital wallet for your passes, simplifying city travel.
- Trip planning with integrated map
- Real-time departure/arrival times
- Secure ticket and pass purchases
- Digital wallet for tickets
- Onboard validation via QR code
- Clean and friendly interface
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The all-in-one public transit app you can rely on! The SMRTpay Mobile app combines trip planning, ticket purchases and validations for a smooth public transit experience. A simple and intuitive way to move around the city! Plan a trip using the integrated map: get from A to B using the quickest route. See estimated times of departure and arrival in real time: save time and organize your day better. Create an account and buy tickets/passes securely: various types of secure payments available. Store tickets and passes in your personal digital wallet: sort out your travel finances. Validate onboard vehicles: simply scan the QR code on your phone and find a seat, it’s that easy! All of this - using only your smartphone and one app! The SMRTpay Mobile App features a clean and friendly interface that will appeal to commuters of all ages. It shortens the time needed to plan a trip, purchase tickets and validate. The SMRTpay Mobile app uses latest security protocols to secure your payments and make sure your account and information are safe at all times
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SMRTpay at 3.3 against SBMTD BusTracker's 2.7. SMRTpay also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 34 months). SBMTD BusTracker's advantage is review sentiment (25% vs 0%) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SMRTpay holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 32 and 14 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 25% of SBMTD BusTracker's written reviews are positive against 0% of SMRTpay's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SBMTD BusTracker ships an update every 34 months, SMRTpay every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SBMTD BusTracker | SMRTpay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.7 (32 ratings) | 3.3 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 32 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Every 34 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District | Modeshift Inc. |
Customer experience
SBMTD BusTracker
SMRTpay
In-app purchases
SBMTD BusTracker
No in-app purchases
SMRTpay
No in-app purchases
