RIPTA Wave vs The Wave Transit System MyWAVE
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RIPTA Wave
Purchase and manage public transit fares directly from your smartphone. Load money onto your account and use your phone as your ticket to ride, with options for one-way, day, and monthly passes. Your fare balance is always accessible and transferable.
- Secure fare purchasing
- Smartphone as ticket
- Earn As You Go fare system
- Transferable fare balance
- One-way, Day, and Monthly passes
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With the new RIPTA Wave App, you can securely purchase RIPTA fares in seconds. Purchasing fares is easy: enter your payment card information, load money onto your Wave account, and your smartphone is your ticket to ride! RIPTA also offers one-way, Day and Monthly passes for use on all services. When ready to board the bus, open the app, and scan it under the validator. Never lose your fare product again! Once you load money into your Wave account, it will always be available to use. Need to replace your phone? No problem -- we can easily transfer your balance. Features: • Earn As You Go – You no longer have to purchase a Day Pass or Monthly Pass upfront. Each time you ride, gets you closer to earning a Day or Monthly Pass. • Secure ticket purchasing with your credit or debit card • Your smartphone is your ticket to ride • Never lose your fare – account balance and passes can be easily transferred if your phone is lost or stolen
The Wave Transit System MyWAVE
This app offers a smart and convenient way to pay for transit in the City of Mobile. Load transit products to your phone for contactless payments, enjoy real-time arrivals, and plan your trips efficiently. It enhances security with registered accounts and speeds up boarding with mobile tickets.
- Contactless mobile payments
- Real-time arrival information
- Service alerts
- Trip planning
- Secure registered accounts
- Faster boarding
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The Wave Transit Systems MyWAVE is the SMART way to travel throughout the City of Mobile! Our new secure, reloadable smart cards and contactless mobile payments make transit smarter, faster and better than ever! Why should I upgrade? More convenience-MyWAVE allows you to load products to your phone for contactless payments anywhere and anytime. More Security-When registered, your MyWAVE balance is protected if your card or mobile device is lost or stolen. Enhanced Features- MyWAVE mobile app offers real time arrivals, service alerts and trip planning with one button access to your MyWAVE account. Faster Boarding-Smart cards and contact free mobile tickets expedite boarding, leading to quicker trips to get you where you need to go. For more help please go to: www.thewavetransit.com. •All information requires an internet connection
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: The Wave Transit System MyWAVE at 3.3 against RIPTA Wave's 1.5. The Wave Transit System MyWAVE also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). RIPTA Wave's advantage is ratings volume (217 vs 7) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). On price, review sentiment, 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.
The Wave Transit System MyWAVE holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RIPTA Wave has 217 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 5% of RIPTA Wave's written reviews are positive against 0% of The Wave Transit System MyWAVE's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
RIPTA Wave ships an update every 2 months, The Wave Transit System MyWAVE every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RIPTA Wave | The Wave Transit System MyWAVE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.5 (217 ratings) | 3.3 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 5.2% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 217 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 91 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bytemark, Inc. | SPX Technologies |
Customer experience
RIPTA Wave
The Wave Transit System MyWAVE
Bugs and requests
RIPTA Wave
Reported bugs
16 issues- App crashes on startup and during payment
- QR code scanner fails to read barcodes
- Random logout without user action
- Payment verification fails despite successful charge
- Virtual cards created unexpectedly
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- Funds load to wrong virtual card
- Balance shows as zero despite loaded funds
- Day passes and transfers fail to register
- App freezes when attempting to sign in
- Card information cannot be edited
- API errors throughout application
- App doesn't open after updates
- Scanning issues on newer iPhone models
- Inaccessible funds after reinstalling app
- Monthly pass unlinks after app downtime
- Slow performance and connection issues
Requested features
11 requests- Integration with Apple Wallet and Apple Pay
- Support for Samsung devices
- One-way ticket option instead of only day/monthly passes
- Transfer pass availability in app (currently bus-only)
- Credit card payment option
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- Ability to remove or consolidate virtual cards
- Web-based payment alternative when app fails
- Better scanning with brightness adjustment assistance
- Automatic physical card fallback for app failures
- Integration with existing Transit app instead of separate app
- Reduced minimum charge amount
The Wave Transit System MyWAVE
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
RIPTA Wave
No in-app purchases
The Wave Transit System MyWAVE
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is RIPTA Wave free?
Is The Wave Transit System MyWAVE free?
Which has better reviews, RIPTA Wave or The Wave Transit System MyWAVE?
Do RIPTA Wave or The Wave Transit System MyWAVE have ads?
Which is updated more often, RIPTA Wave or The Wave Transit System MyWAVE?
Other comparisons
