Cruise Forth vs Bus & Tram
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cruise Forth
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Destination information for cruise ships arriving for Edinburgh and Dundee. Looking to plan your visit to Scotland? Select your cruise then browse our directory of attractions and businesses to plan your day. Add items to your itinerary, view points of interest on our map and get some information on the surrounding area.
Bus & Tram
Plan your bus and tram journeys in Edinburgh and the Lothians with real-time arrival information. Purchase mobile tickets directly within the app and receive live updates on delays and diversions.
- Journey planning with interactive map
- Real-time bus and tram arrival times
- Mobile ticket purchasing
- Live travel and service updates
- Customizable route suggestions
- Service notifications
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The new Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams app has everything you need to seamlessly travel on buses and trams in and around Edinburgh and the Lothians. Journey Planning Planning your journey around Edinburgh has never been easier. You can view your location on the interactive map and plan a route to your desired location. You can tailor the results to your travel preferences and we'll show you the most practical routes to get you where you need to be. Real-time Information Stay up to date with all the latest information regarding bus and tram arrival and departure times. The interactive map shows every bus and tram stop around you with subsequent real-time information about services at the selected location. Mobile Ticketing Passengers can now purchase a number of ticket types all on the one app. The app will learn ticket purchase behaviour and can present suggestions for frequently purchased tickets. Make use of our handy filters and find the tickets you need whether you're travelling across the region, in the city or to the Airport. Travel and Service Information The new and updated app can give you live updates about travel and service information, such as delays and diversions. If a stop is selected on the app, passengers will get the most up to date service information regarding the routes that serve the selected stop. Passengers have the opportunity to turn on notifications to get the latest service information straight to their smartphone.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Cruise Forth at 9.0 against Bus & Tram's 16.0. On price, update cadence, 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.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Cruise Forth | Bus & Tram |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.8 (235 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 15.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 235 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cruiseforth Ltd | Lothian Buses plc |
Bugs and requests
Cruise Forth
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Bus & Tram
Reported bugs
2 issues- App refreshes when switching away
- Address search returns irrelevant results
Requested features
4 requests- Bring back 'take me home' button
- Allow saving of favorite stops without login
- Integrate live departure times with route planning
- Improve map view to show bus locations
In-app purchases
Cruise Forth
No in-app purchases
Bus & Tram
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cruise Forth free?
Is Bus & Tram free?
Do Cruise Forth or Bus & Tram have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cruise Forth or Bus & Tram?
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