CTrail eTix vs Wheels2U
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CTrail eTix
Purchase mobile rail tickets for Hartford Line and Shore Line East customers directly from your smartphone. Avoid lines and cash transactions by buying daily parking and various ticket types, including monthly bus add-ons for CTtransit users.
- Purchase mobile rail tickets
- Buy daily parking
- Save tickets for later
- Receive email receipts
- Add CTtransit bus passes
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Traveling on CTrail just got easier! No more waiting in line to purchase a paper ticket, swiping your credit card, or carrying around cash. Connecticut DOT’s CTrail eTix app allows Hartford Line and Shore Line East customers to buy mobile rail tickets using their smartphone. Daily parking at Wallingford and Berlin stations is also available for purchase using CTrail eTix. With CTrail eTix, One-Way, Weekly, Monthly, and Ten-Trip mobile tickets are available for purchase. For customers that also use CTtransit, a CTtransit Monthly (Local) Bus add-on is available for purchase with your monthly rail ticket. Pay on the go, and use your mobile tickets immediately or save them for later. Keeping track of expenses is easy with CTrail eTix receipts provided via e-mail. Get started right away by downloading CTrail eTix and creating your account.
Wheels2U
This on-demand shuttle service provides shared rides within designated service areas. Book a ride through the app, and a computer algorithm will match you with a shuttle heading in your direction, offering real-time tracking and estimated pick-up times. Accessible options for wheelchair users are available.
- On-demand shuttle service
- Shared rides
- Real-time vehicle tracking
- Estimated pick-up times
- Wheelchair accessible options
- Service area maps
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Wheels2U is an on-demand shuttle service that picks you up at your location and takes you where you want to go within certain “Service Areas” in Norwalk and Westport. How does Wheels2U work? Wheels2U is a new concept in public transportation. The service takes multiple passengers heading in the same direction and books them into a shared vehicle. Once you request a ride with the Wheels2U app, our computer algorithm matches you in real-time with a shuttle that will pick you up at your location and get you to your destination as quickly as possible. Typically, the trip time is comparable to other ride services. For Service Area maps, Hours of Operation and Fares in: Norwalk: visit Wheels2UNorwalk.com Westport: visit Wheels2UWestport.com How long will I wait? You will always get an accurate estimate of your pick-up time before booking. You can also track your vehicle in real time in the app. How many passengers will I share a vehicle with? The number of passengers varies based on your trip and the requests of other riders at that time. Our shuttles are spacious and can easily accommodate up to 12 people. What else do I need to know about using the service? If you require the use of a wheelchair space, you can note this in the app under your rider profile. Download the free app and we will pick you up in minutes. Questions? Email us at wheels2u@norwalktransit.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Wheels2U at 4.8 against CTrail eTix's 1.6. Wheels2U also leads on review sentiment (37% vs 6%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 6 months). CTrail eTix's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.
Wheels2U holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 173 and 615 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 6% of CTrail eTix's written reviews are positive against 37% of Wheels2U's.
CTrail eTix ships an update every 6 months, Wheels2U every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CTrail eTix | Wheels2U |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.6 (173 ratings) | 4.8 (615 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 6.0% of reviews | 36.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 173 | 615 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 134 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CTrail Connecticut Department of Transportation | Via Transportation, Inc. |
Customer experience
CTrail eTix
Wheels2U
User reviews
CTrail eTix
From 173 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Functional for ticket purchase
- 👍 Easy to download
- 👍 Straightforward and accessible design (rare)
- 👍 Text is big and does the job (rare)
- 👍 Large buttons are useful (rare)
Room to improve
- 👎 Atrocious UI/UX
- 👎 Outdated interface/looks from another decade
- 👎 Unusable/broken app
- 👎 Impossible to create account
- 👎 Password reset issues
Wheels2U
From 615 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💰 Nice price
- 👍 Convenient for commuting
- ✨ Clean and safe rides
- 🚗 Professional drivers
- 👍 Great service for community
Room to improve
- ⏳ Busy and hard to find rides
- ⏳ Long wait times for pickup
- ⏳ Slow arrival at destination
- ⏰ Inconvenient weekend service times
- ⏳ Long travel times (1hr+)
Bugs and requests
CTrail eTix
Reported bugs
35 issues- Cannot create an account
- Password reset functionality broken
- Email already in use error when creating account, but no account found for password reset
- App crashes frequently
- Purchased tickets disappear from the app
Show 30 moreShow fewer
- Login errors/connection errors
- App reverts to old keyboard and screen size
- Apple Pay not working reliably
- Time change detected errors when accessing tickets
- App closes when selecting a destination/station
- App immediately crashes after an update
- No confirmation email received
- Cannot log in
- App doesn't let me select a destination
- App doesn't work at all
- Tickets disappear multiple times
- App crashes on first install
- App requires camera access unnecessarily
- App doesn't load over HTTPS reliably
- Payment form hosted on a different service
- App doesn't support larger screens/newer phones
- App doesn't allow copy/paste of passwords
- App doesn't interact with password managers
- App crashes when trying to start
- App doesn't let me purchase a ticket
- App doesn't allow me to select a destination
- App closes out when entering a station
- App keeps crashing
- App is incredibly buggy
- App requires camera access to verify tickets
- App displays browser windows within itself
- App requires constant logging in
- App is formatted for much older phones and does not display correctly
- App keeps telling me to confirm email with no way to do so
- App lacks proper support for newer phones
Requested features
18 requests- Modernize the app's UI/UX
- Add train schedules to the app
- Improve password management (copy/paste, password managers)
- Add Apple Wallet support
- Add Dynamic Island support
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- Add Live Updates
- Allow round trip ticket purchases
- Add trip planning ability
- Improve payment options (Apple Pay, security)
- Add a way to confirm email
- Fix app crashing issues
- Coordinate with Amtrak and Metro North apps
- Add a schedule page
- Add a reservation system
- Increase time window for ticket confirmation
- Improve security of backend and payment forms
- Add Dark Mode option
- Add an interactive schedule like the website
Wheels2U
Reported bugs
2 issues- Charged after ride cancellation
- System tells users to take the bus
Requested features
3 requests- Change weekend service times back
- More buses and faster arrival
- Better evening service
In-app purchases
CTrail eTix
No in-app purchases
Wheels2U
No in-app purchases
