U vs MaizeBus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
U
Navigate University of Michigan campus buses with real-time tracking and trip planning. Get live arrival times, route information, and rider alerts to make your commute easier.
- Live bus tracking
- Real-time arrival information
- Trip planning
- Route finder
- Rider alerts and detours
- Favorite bus stop saving
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U-M Magic Bus, your guide to campus bus travel at the University of Michigan. Plan a trip, find a bus route, track your bus, and get real-time bus arrival information on your mobile device. The application uses data provided by University of Michigan – Transportation Services and its bus tracking system over your device's WiFi or cellular network connection. Magic Bus riders have real-time bus information at their fingertips for the first time. Enter your starting location and destination to access fast trip planning. Save your favorite bus stop on the app for quick bus arrival information. Receive rider alerts and detours on your device, before you head out the door. Click on the University of Michigan system map, select a route, and see where your bus is in real time. Traveling by bus has never been this easy!
MaizeBus
Track University of Michigan buses in real-time, including UMich and The Ride. Get live departure times, find bus routes to campus buildings, and receive arrival notifications. Favorite frequent stops for easy access.
- Live bus tracking
- Real-time departure times
- Campus building search
- Bus route directions
- Arrival notifications
- Favorite stops
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MaizeBus is a new, reimagined way to use the bus system at the University of Michigan (not sponsored or affiliated). - Track buses live (both UMich and The Ride), get live bus stop departure times - Search for any building on campus, and then get bus directions with real-time buses - Get a notification when your bus is arriving - Favorite your most used stops for quick access MaizeBus is built by students for students.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: MaizeBus at 90% against U's 0%. MaizeBus also leads on rating (4.5 vs 1.2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). U's advantage is ratings volume (279 vs 24) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.6). 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.
MaizeBus holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: U has 279 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of U's written reviews are positive against 90% of MaizeBus's.
U ships an update every 4 months, MaizeBus every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | U | MaizeBus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.2 (279 ratings) | 4.5 (24 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 90.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 279 — better | 24 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The University of Michigan | Ishan Kumar |
Customer experience
U
MaizeBus
In-app purchases
U
No in-app purchases
MaizeBus
No in-app purchases
