Jefferson Lines vs SAM Transit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Jefferson Lines
Purchase bus tickets, locate stops, and receive travel alerts directly from your phone. This app offers contactless travel tools to enhance your journey without unnecessary interaction.
- Contactless ticket purchasing
- Locate nearby bus stops
- Monitor travel alerts
- Track your bus in real-time
- Innovative travel tools
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Go Contactless. Easily access innovative travel tools from your phone to assist you while you travel. You can now purchase tickets, find nearby bus stops, monitor travel alerts, track your bus, and more without the unnecessary interaction. Download the Jefferson Lines Mobile App 2.0 for free!
SAM Transit
Plan and navigate your trips within the Sioux Falls Area using public transit and on-demand rideshare. Get real-time arrival information and track your vehicle for a seamless travel experience.
- Trip planning with transit options
- On-demand rideshare booking
- Live bus arrival times
- Real-time vehicle tracking
- Wheelchair accessible vehicle option
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SAM Transit is your go-to app for getting around the Sioux Falls Area. Simply tell the app where you want to go and we’ll share the best trip options to get there. You can navigate your city with bus, on demand rideshare or a combination of travel options. HOW IT WORKS: - Easily plan travel with Sioux Area Metro services. - Enter your pickup and dropoff locations and we’ll tell you the best journey available at that time. - Book SAM On Demand rides directly in the app for you and any additional passengers. - Never miss your ride with live arrival times for your bus and vehicle tracking for your SAM On Demand journey. - If you’re riding on demand, there may be others on board, or you may make a few additional stops along the way! RELIABLE: Track your ride as the driver is on their way to you, and while you’re on the vehicle too. OUR VEHICLES: SAM Transit is wheelchair accessible! If you require a wheelchair, simply toggle on “Wheelchair accessibility” in the “Account” tab of your app! When you request a ride, you’ll be matched with a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Questions? Reach out at +1(605) 367-7151. Loving your experience so far? Give us a 5-star rating.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SAM Transit at 4.8 against Jefferson Lines's 2.0. SAM Transit also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (monthly vs every 10 months). Jefferson Lines's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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.
SAM Transit holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SAM Transit has 261 ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 9% of Jefferson Lines's written reviews are positive against 38% of SAM Transit's.
Jefferson Lines ships an update every 10 months, SAM Transit monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Jefferson Lines | SAM Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (29 ratings) | 4.8 (261 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 9.1% of reviews | 37.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 29 | 261 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 129 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jefferson Partners L.P. | Via Transportation, Inc. |
Customer experience
Jefferson Lines
SAM Transit
In-app purchases
Jefferson Lines
No in-app purchases
SAM Transit
No in-app purchases
