UIUC Bus vs Terrier Transit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
UIUC Bus
This app provides real-time transit information for the Champaign-Urbana area, including live bus locations, departure times, and route details. It helps users navigate campus and the city efficiently by offering up-to-date information beyond scheduled times.
- Real-time bus departure times
- Live bus location tracking
- Nearby bus stop identification
- Bus route information
- Map of all CUMTD stops
- Favorite stop selection
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Get around the UIUC campus and the Champaign-Urbana area easily and efficiently with UIUC Bus! UIUC Bus provides real-time information about bus stops, routes, and departures and gives you access to the following information for the CUMTD bus service: - Stops near you - Up-to-date bus departure times - Live bus location - Bus route - A map of all CUMTD stops AND a lot more! While Google Maps gives you scheduled bus departure times, UIUC Bus is always up to date with real-time expected departure timings, so you'll always know when a bus is a couple of minutes early or a few minutes late. UIUC Bus also lets you select your favorite stops so you can have fast and easy access to information about the stops you use all the time! Download UIUC Bus today and stay on top of bus timings to get where you need to go reliably!
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: UIUC Bus at 4.2 against Terrier Transit's 2.6. UIUC Bus also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (28% vs 17%). Terrier Transit's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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.
UIUC Bus holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UIUC Bus has 1.3K ratings behind it against 162, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of UIUC Bus's written reviews are positive against 17% of Terrier Transit's.
UIUC Bus ships an update every 10 days, Terrier Transit every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | UIUC Bus | Terrier Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (1.3K ratings) — better | 2.6 (162 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 28.4% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.3K — better | 162 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 176 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rishi Masand | Boston University |
Customer experience
UIUC Bus
Terrier Transit
User reviews
UIUC Bus
From 1.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate bus information
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- ✨ Great design and organization
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Lack of refresh functionality
- 🗺️ Inaccurate location tracking and bus routes
- 💔 Removal of key features in latest update
Terrier Transit
From 162 App Store ratingsWhat 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
UIUC Bus
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes when selecting bus stops
- Incorrect bus arrival times
- Disappearing bus icons and routes
Requested features
4 requests- Bring back manual refresh option
- Show bus stops on map
- Display user location on map
- Restore favorited stops
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- Bring back old app's live tracker
- Focus on BU shuttle tracking
In-app purchases
UIUC Bus
No in-app purchases
Terrier Transit
No in-app purchases









