Comparison

CTrail eTix vs CT Bus

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Purchase mobile rail tickets
  • Buy daily parking
  • Save tickets for later
  • Receive email receipts
  • Add CTtransit bus passes
Features
Read full description

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.

About

CT Bus

Track CT Transit buses in real-time across Connecticut. See bus locations, speed, occupancy, and find nearby stops. Features live map updates and lock screen notifications.

Highlights
  • Real-time GPS tracking
  • Live bus map
  • Nearby stops finder
  • Route browser
  • Lock screen notifications
  • Occupancy levels
Features
Read full description

CT Bus gives you real-time tracking for every CT Transit bus in Connecticut. Browse active buses, track your ride by distance, and find nearby stops — all powered by CTtransit's public GTFS-Realtime API. BROWSE ACTIVE BUSES See every running bus in one place. Cards show route, speed, distance from you, occupancy, and last update. Search by route or bus number. Tap any bus to see it live on a map. LIVE BUS TRACKING Tap "Track This Bus" and follow your ride in real-time. The map auto-follows the bus every 15 seconds. A persistent banner keeps you updated across every screen. LIVE MAP See every active CT Transit bus on an interactive map. Color-coded by route. Tap any bus for details, or use the focus buttons to jump to your location or tracked bus. NEARBY STOPS Enable location to instantly find bus stops near you with walking distance and time. No searching — just open the app and see what's nearby. ROUTE BROWSER Browse all 184 CT Transit routes. Filter to active routes only. Tap any route to see its live buses on a map with distance and speed info. YOUR AREA Select your town — Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury, New Britain, Meriden, and more. The app focuses on buses and stops in your area. LIVE ACTIVITY Track your bus right from your lock screen and Dynamic Island. See distance, speed, and route without opening the app. FEATURES - Real-time GPS tracking for 280+ CT Transit buses - Browse all active buses with card-based UI - Live map with color-coded bus positions updated every 15 seconds - Distance and walking time from your location to any bus - Route browser with 184 routes across Connecticut - Nearby stops finder with walking directions - Bus tracking with auto-follow map and persistent banner - Live Activity on lock screen and Dynamic Island - Occupancy levels (empty, some seats, crowded, full) - Dark mode support - Works across Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury, and more DATA SOURCE Bus position and route data is provided by CTtransit's public GTFS-Realtime API. Data refreshes every 15 seconds. This app is not affiliated with CTtransit or the Connecticut Department of Transportation. By using this app, you agree to the Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

CTrail eTix4 screens
CT Bus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CT Bus at 4.8 against CTrail eTix's 1.6. CT Bus also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). CTrail eTix's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (185 vs 9). On price, 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

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

CT Bus holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CTrail eTix has 185 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CTrail eTix ships an update every 6 months, CT Bus every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
CTrail eTix versus CT Bus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCTrail eTixCT Bus
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.6 (185 ratings)4.8 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews5.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings185 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCTrail Connecticut Department of TransportationDi Nerd Apps LLC

Customer experience

CTrail eTix

All ratings185 ratings
Positive10.8%
Neutral4.3%
Negative84.9%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive5.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative87.1%

CT Bus

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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 more
  • 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
Show 13 more
  • 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

CT Bus

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

CTrail eTix

No in-app purchases

None

CT Bus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CTrail eTix free?
CTrail eTix is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CT Bus free?
CT Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CTrail eTix or CT Bus?
CT Bus is rated higher. CTrail eTix averages 1.6 out of 5 from 185 ratings, while CT Bus averages 4.8 from 9 ratings.
Do CTrail eTix or CT Bus have ads?
CT Bus shows ads; CTrail eTix does not.
Which is updated more often, CTrail eTix or CT Bus?
CTrail eTix ships an update every 6 months, and CT Bus every 2 months. Most recently, CTrail eTix was updated on November 11, 2026 and CT Bus on October 31, 2026.

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