Comparison

McGill’s Buses vs Unilink Bus

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

Head to head
About

McGill’s Buses

Plan your bus journeys, view real-time bus locations, and purchase mobile tickets directly within the app. Access timetables, find nearby stops, and save favorite routes for a seamless travel experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time bus tracking
  • Mobile ticket purchasing
  • Journey planning
  • Find nearest stops
  • User-friendly timetables
  • Save favorite services
Features
Read full description

McGill’s new and improved m-ticket and real-time app allows you to buy your tickets within the app and use your mobile device as your ticket as well as view real-time information, meaning you can check exactly where your bus is, at any given time – all in the once place! With other added features including- planning my journey, find my nearest stop, user friendly timetable information and saving your favourite services, this will make McGill’s bus travel even easier, with everything you need fitting into your pocket. With M-Ticketing you can buy and load your tickets to your phone and use them whenever suits you; including saving your tickets for later! No more searching for change and for use on any McGill’s bus across our extensive network of services, with payment accepted via PayPal, credit or debit card. There are over half a million journeys on a McGill’s bus every week. Our app makes it even easier to get on-board and track your bus right to your stop! McGill’s operates over 120 routes across Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire and Glasgow city. Once you have downloaded the app, create an account and you’re ready! With adult, student, child and family offers available, we have a ticket to suit you. We look forward to welcoming you on board!

About

Unilink Bus

Plan your bus journeys in Southampton with mobile ticketing, live departure times, and route information. Save favorite stops and routes for quick access, and stay updated on service disruptions.

Highlights
  • Mobile ticket purchase
  • Live departure times
  • Bus stop map
  • Route browsing
  • Journey planning
  • Timetable access
  • Favorite stops and routes
  • Service disruption alerts
Features
Read full description

Our new app has everything you need to get around Southampton with Unilink. 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 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: Plan your journey to uni, trip to the shops or night out with friends. It’s now even easier to plan ahead with Unilink. Timetables: We’ve squeezed all of our routes and timetables into the palm of your hand. 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.

Screenshots

McGill’s Buses4 screens
Unilink Bus4 screens

Verdict

The call

McGill’s Buses and Unilink Bus both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 63% of Unilink Bus's written reviews are positive against 42% of McGill’s Buses's. On price, rating, ratings volume 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

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for McGill’s Buses against 4.9 for Unilink Bus. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 16 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 42% of McGill’s Buses's written reviews are positive against 63% of Unilink Bus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
McGill’s Buses versus Unilink Bus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMcGill’s BusesUnilink Bus
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (11 ratings) — better4.9 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews42.2% of reviews62.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1116 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMcGill's Bus Service LimitedThe Go-Ahead Group plc

Customer experience

McGill’s Buses

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive42.2%
Neutral4.7%
Negative53.1%

Unilink Bus

All ratings16 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

McGill’s Buses

Reported bugs

22 issues
  • App signs users out
  • Account termination threats
  • App causes iPhone to overheat
  • App crashes when tracking transport
  • App doesn't show any bus times
Show 17 more
  • App doesn't update in real-time
  • App is slow to load
  • Live bus locations cause app to crash
  • App turns brightness down on phone
  • App doesn't show bus times anymore
  • App removed ability to know bus capacity
  • Website doesn't update in real-time
  • App is more expensive than cash
  • Tickets expire in 15 minutes
  • No live tracking available
  • Ticket activation expires after 10 minutes
  • App freezes when trying to buy tickets
  • Discount codes cannot be applied
  • Tickets not transferring from old app
  • Payment system flags as fraud
  • Real-time tracking is inaccurate
  • App doesn't work on quick page on new iPhone update

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add screen for next stop
  • Fix the 66 bus route
  • More 66 buses
  • Add ability to know when bus is full/moderate/empty
  • Add ticket gifting speed
Show 1 more
  • Improve real-time tracking accuracy

Unilink Bus

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

McGill’s Buses

No in-app purchases

None

Unilink Bus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is McGill’s Buses free?
McGill’s Buses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Unilink Bus free?
Unilink Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, McGill’s Buses or Unilink Bus?
McGill’s Buses is rated higher. McGill’s Buses averages 5.0 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Unilink Bus averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.
Do McGill’s Buses or Unilink Bus have ads?
Neither McGill’s Buses nor Unilink Bus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, McGill’s Buses or Unilink Bus?
McGill’s Buses ships an update fortnightly, and Unilink Bus fortnightly. Most recently, McGill’s Buses was updated on October 29, 2026 and Unilink Bus on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons