LA Bus vs LAnow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LA Bus
Get real-time arrival information for LADOT DASH and Commuter Express buses. Plan your trips, save favorite stops, and receive timely alerts for your bus routes.
- Real-time bus arrival information
- LADOT DASH and Commuter Express support
- Favorite stop marking
- Trip planning
- Arrival alerts and reminders
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LA Bus provides real-time arrival information for LADOT DASH and Commuter Express. Use the app to mark favorite stops, set reminders, get alerts, and plan your trip.
LAnow
This app provides on-demand shared rides within West Los Angeles. Book a shuttle via the app or phone, and it will pick you up and drop you off within a quarter mile of your requested locations. It offers flexible transportation where traditional bus services may not reach.
- On-demand shared rides
- Book via app or phone
- Real-time vehicle tracking
- Pick-up/drop-off within 1/4 mile
- Flexible transportation options
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LAnow is a new on demand shared-ride service. Book a ride through the LAnow smartphone app or by phone, meet your shuttle at your scheduled LAnow pick-up/drop-off point, and ride to your destination. Get out of your car and relax or go where existing bus service can’t take you. Pick-up/drop-off points are never more than a few blocks (1/4 mile) away. You can also meet us at the LAnow Rideshare Hub at the Palms Expo Station. How does LAnow work? LAnow is an on-demand travel concept that takes multiple passengers heading in the same direction and books them into a shared vehicle. Using the LAnow app, input your address and we’ll match you with a vehicle going your way. We’ll pick you up and drop you off within a quarter mile of your requested origin and destination, never more than a few blocks away. Get out of your car and relax or go where existing bus service can’t take you. How long will I wait? - You'll always get an accurate estimate of your pick-up ETA before booking. You can also track your vehicle in real time in the app. Try this new on-demand transport app that is guaranteed to change the way that you think about traveling. We look forward to seeing you on your next journey. Just click, pay, go! Love our app? Please rate us! Questions? Email us at lanow@ladottransit.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: LAnow at 4.7 against LA Bus's 3.0. LAnow also leads on ratings volume (241 vs 2) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). LA Bus's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, 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.
LAnow holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LAnow has 241 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 33% and 33% positive.
LA Bus ships an update every 4 months, LAnow every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LA Bus | LAnow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (2 ratings) | 4.7 (241 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 241 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 148 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Syncromatics Corporation | Via Transportation, Inc. |
Customer experience
LA Bus
LAnow
In-app purchases
LA Bus
No in-app purchases
LAnow
No in-app purchases
