BART (Official) vs Route
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BART (Official)
Plan your Bay Area transit journeys with real-time train departures and official service alerts. This app offers end-to-end trip planning, step-by-step navigation, and customized notifications for a hassle-free commute.
- Real-time train departures
- End-to-end trip planner
- Step-by-step navigation
- Customized service alerts
- Contactless parking payment
- Service disruption information
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The official Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) app has arrived. It’s the easiest way to plan your trip and get accurate real time train departures with data straight from BART, along with official service alerts. The BART app offers exclusive features for hassle free travel for daily commuters, infrequent users and tourists alike: -Plan your entire end to end trip with BART’s exclusive Trip Planner giving you the fastest route from your starting point to your destination using BART and multiple modes of transportation, including connecting transit, biking, walking and driving. -Step by step navigation with personalized preferences and saved favorite stations and trips. -Real time departures and schedule timetable. -Customized in-app notifications about BART service and announcements. -Contactless in-app Daily Fee parking payment -Service disruption information linked to your trip itinerary. -Report a Biohazard that needs addressing and access our BART Watch App for reporting crimes. -Escalator and Elevator advisories. -Fleet of the Future train tracker. -Cancelled trip notices. -Easily see the last train of the evening by station when you’re planning your night out or your trip home from the airport. -Station information (including if it offers a parking lot and secured bike parking). -Seamless connection to bart.gov and BARTable for deals, events, and fun. -It’s ad free; who wants to be distracted when looking how far away your train is? BART is working on future features of the app to enhance your BART experience... Tell us about the features you want.
Route
This app simplifies college carpooling by connecting verified student drivers with passengers. It offers a safer, more affordable, and eco-friendly way for students to travel for weekend trips, events, or breaks.
- Verified college student community
- Earn extra cash as a driver
- Save money on travel as a passenger
- Easy ride posting and booking
- Safe and verified users
- Sustainable travel through carpooling
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Route: College Carpooling Made Simple Share rides with verified college students! Route connects drivers with passengers heading to the same destination, making travel safer, cheaper, and more sustainable. Why Route? - Exclusively for college students - verify with your .edu email - Drivers earn extra cash, passengers save on travel - Quick and easy ride posting and booking - Safe community with verified users only - Reduce your carbon footprint through carpooling Perfect for: - Weekend trips home - Event transportation - Break trips Join hundreds of college students. Download Route today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Route at 5.0 against BART (Official)'s 4.6. Route also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 17.6). BART (Official)'s advantage is ratings volume (28K vs 4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Route holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART (Official) has 28K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, Route every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BART (Official) | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (28K ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 28K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District | Gus Flusser |
Customer experience
BART (Official)
Route
Bugs and requests
BART (Official)
Reported bugs
4 issues- Real-time departure times not updating accurately
- Trip planning providing incorrect/nonsensical routes
- Login and password issues causing frequent logouts
- Parking payment not working as expected
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to check Clipper card balance
- Automatic license plate recognition for parking
- Offline mode for schedules and trip planning
- Better notifications for service advisories and delays
- More customization options for favorite stations
Route
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BART (Official)
No in-app purchases
Route
No in-app purchases
