CTrail eTix vs StamFORWARD
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.
StamFORWARD
This app offers on-demand microtransit services for efficient and affordable transportation within the city. Book a ride from your phone and share it with others heading in the same direction, enjoying the convenience of rideshare at a bus fare price.
- On-demand microtransit
- Affordable rideshare alternative
- Book rides via mobile app
- Shared rides with others
- Convenient pick-up locations
- Reduced carbon emissions
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StamFORWARD is a microtransit service providing transportation at the cost of a bus ride but with the convenience and comfort of a rideshare. StamFORWARD is dedicated to expanding transit options around the City of Stamford with efficient and affordable service. Why drive yourself when you can be picked up by one of our professionals? How it works: - Download the app. - Book a ride on your phone. - Get picked up on a nearby corner. - Share your ride with others. (Your plus ones ride for less!) - Save cash and reduce carbon emissions. The app pairs you with other riders heading your way with no fear of major delays or detours. Questions? Reach out at support-StamForward@ridewithvia.com. Loving your experience so far? Throw us a 5-star rating.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: StamFORWARD at 4.8 against CTrail eTix's 1.6. StamFORWARD also leads on review sentiment (31% vs 6%) and update cadence (every 6 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, ratings volume, 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.
StamFORWARD holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 173 and 321 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 6% of CTrail eTix's written reviews are positive against 31% of StamFORWARD's.
CTrail eTix ships an update every 6 months, StamFORWARD every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CTrail eTix | StamFORWARD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.6 (173 ratings) | 4.8 (321 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 6.0% of reviews | 30.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 173 | 321 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 6 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
StamFORWARD
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
StamFORWARD
From 321 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great service in Stamford
- 👍 Nice and polite drivers
- 👍 Smooth rides
Room to improve
- 😞 Drivers don't wait
- 😞 Rides canceled unexpectedly
- 😞 Drop-off far from destination
- 😞 Inaccurate GPS/timing
- 😞 Rude drivers
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
StamFORWARD
Reported bugs
4 issues- GPS and timing are very wrong
- App needs a lot of improvement
- Can't add a credit card
- Map shows outdated landmarks
Requested features
3 requests- Improve GPS accuracy and timing
- Update map layout with current landmarks
- Allow credit card input in the app
In-app purchases
CTrail eTix
No in-app purchases
StamFORWARD
No in-app purchases
