STARNow vs GoBus Transit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
STARNow
Book same-day rides within specific zones for a safe, reliable, and affordable public transit experience. Schedule pickups and drop-offs, and pay directly through the app.
- Schedule pickups and drop-offs
- Real-time vehicle dispatch
- In-app payment option
- Trip reviews
- Service within specific zones
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STAR Transit is a public transportation agency that has been providing service for over 40 years. STARNow is the newest transit option added to our portfolio. This same day service is a safe, reliable, and low cost. How It Works - Schedule your pick up and drop off - Software dispatches the vehicle closest to you - Pay for your trip in the app or on the vehicle - Ride - Review Service Details: Pick up and drop off points must be inside the Mesquite, Terrell, Kaufman and Balch Springs travel zones. For service hours and fares, visit www.STARtransit.org for more information. Service Holidays: - New Year’s Day - President’s Day - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Good Friday - Memorial Day - Independence Day - Labor Day - Thanksgiving Day - The day after Thanksgiving - Christmas Eve - Christmas Day Follow us on social media: Instagram - @STARtransit_official Facebook - @STARtransit
GoBus Transit
This app allows users to manage their public transportation trips within a 14-county region in East Texas. It provides tools for scheduling, viewing, and canceling rides, with real-time vehicle ETAs and 24/7 account access. It serves the general public, seniors, students, individuals with disabilities, and veterans.
- Manage trips
- View upcoming and completed trips
- Cancel trips easily
- Passenger notifications with ETAs
- Simple mobile interface
- 24/7 account access
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GoBus Transit is a rural demand response public transportation system within the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) located in Kilgore, Texas. GoBus serves all East Texas citizens including the general public, people over the age of 60, students, persons with disabilities, veterans and active military personnel, and people who are working or looking for work. GoBus provides service to a 14-county region covering the following counties: Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Marion, Panola, Rusk, Rains, Van Zandt, Wood, Upshur, and Smith. GoBus clients seeking an easy way to manage their trips are able to utilize the GoBus Transit application by first calling the GoBus Transit Call Center at 1-800-590-3371 to activate access. The GoBus Transit app offers a multitude of helpful tools to make scheduling trips easy, including: - Flexibility to manage trips - View upcoming and completed trips - Easily cancel trips - Convenient Trip Details View - Passenger notifications with accurate vehicle ETAs - Simple Mobile Interface - 24/7 access to account profiles, settings, and reservations GoBus is proud to provide safe, reliable and friendly transportation to East Texans!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: STARNow at 4.5 against GoBus Transit's 3.7. STARNow also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 21 months) and ratings volume (135 vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
STARNow holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: STARNow has 135 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
STARNow ships an update every 5 weeks, GoBus Transit every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | STARNow | GoBus Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (135 ratings) — better | 3.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 11.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 135 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 21 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Spare Labs Inc. | Ecolane USA, Inc. |
Customer experience
STARNow
GoBus Transit
In-app purchases
STARNow
No in-app purchases
GoBus Transit
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is STARNow free?
Is GoBus Transit free?
Which has better reviews, STARNow or GoBus Transit?
Do STARNow or GoBus Transit have ads?
Which is updated more often, STARNow or GoBus Transit?
Other comparisons
