Reading Buses vs TV Buses
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Reading Buses
Plan your bus journeys, purchase mobile tickets, and track live departures. This app provides real-time bus information, fare discovery, and contactless journey history. Save your favorite routes and stay updated on service disruptions.
- Mobile ticket purchase
- Live departure tracking
- Journey planning
- Fare discovery
- Timetable access
- Contactless journey history
- Service update notifications
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Our new app has everything you need to travel with Reading Buses. NEW! Discover your fare: Find the fare for the journeys you are planning whether you want to buy a mobile ticket in advance or pay on the bus. Mobile Tickets: Purchase mobile tickets securely with a debit/credit card and scan when boarding - no more searching for cash! Live Departures: Browse and view bus stops on the map, explore upcoming departures, or check out the routes from a stop to see where you could travel next. Journey Planning: It’s now even easier to plan ahead with Reading Buses. Timetables: We’ve squeezed the whole timetable into the palm of your hand. Contactless Journeys: View the journeys you have made using your contactless cards and a breakdown of charges and savings. Favourites: You can quickly save your favourite Departure Boards, Timetables and Journeys, with quick access from one convenient menu. Service Updates: You’ll be able to keep up to date with disruption information from our Twitter feed inside the app. As always, we welcome your feedback. You can send it to us via the app.
TV Buses
Plan your travel and purchase tickets for buses in the Thames Valley area. View live bus locations, real-time departures, and detailed timetables. Save favorite routes and stay updated on service disruptions.
- Mobile ticket purchase
- Live bus tracking
- Real-time departures
- Journey planning
- Timetables
- Contactless journey history
- Favorite routes
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Our new app has everything you need to get around the Thames Valley area with Thames Valley Buses. It’s packed full of everything you’ll need to get mobile on the bus. Mobile Tickets: Purchase mobile tickets securely with Apple Pay or a debit/credit card and show the driver when boarding - no more searching for cash! Live Buses and Real Time Departures: Browse and view buses and stops on the map, explore upcoming departures, or check out the routes from a stop to see where you could travel next. Journey Planning: Plan your commute, trip to the shops or night out with friends. It’s now even easier to plan ahead with Thames Valley Buses. Timetables: We’ve squeezed all of our routes and timetables into the palm of your hand. Contactless Journeys: View the journeys you have made using your contactless cards and a breakdown of charges and savings. Favourites: You can quickly save your favourite Departure Boards, Timetables and Journeys, with quick access from one convenient menu. Disruptions: You’ll be able to keep up to date with service changes directly from our disruption feeds inside the app. As always, we welcome your feedback. You can send it to us via the app or email us at customerservices@thamesvalleybuses.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Reading Buses at 83 against TV Buses's 7. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Reading Buses against 4.7 for TV Buses. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reading Buses has 83 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of Reading Buses's written reviews are positive against 59% of TV Buses's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Reading Buses | TV Buses |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (83 ratings) — better | 4.7 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 61.2% of reviews — better | 58.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 83 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Reading Buses | Courtney Coaches LTD |
Customer experience
Reading Buses
TV Buses
In-app purchases
Reading Buses
No in-app purchases
TV Buses
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Reading Buses free?
Is TV Buses free?
Which has better reviews, Reading Buses or TV Buses?
Do Reading Buses or TV Buses have ads?
Which is updated more often, Reading Buses or TV Buses?
Other comparisons
