TAP LA vs AVTA On
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TAP LA
Pay for transit fares across Los Angeles with your mobile device. This app allows you to purchase passes, manage multiple cards, and use touchless payment on numerous bus and train systems. It also offers trip planning and access to multimodal programs.
- Touchless payment
- Add TAP card to iPhone/Apple Watch
- Purchase transit passes
- Manage multiple TAP cards
- Add TAP card to Apple Wallet
- Trip planning tools
- Reduced fare support
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Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority ("LACMTA"), a government agency, is the owner and developer of this app. TAP is your ticket to ride transit in greater Los Angeles! It is accepted on 27 systems including LA Metro, providing a vast network of buses and trains. - Make your travel safe and easy with touchless payment and card management. - Add a new TAP card to your iPhone and Apple Watch and use your fare immediately. - Use your iPhone (8 and above) and Apple Watch (Series 3 and above) to tap with Apple Pay when boarding a bus or train. - Enjoy flexible payment options including credit/debit cards, account cash and Apple Pay. - Purchase a transit pass or Stored Value for any agency in Los Angeles County. - Manage multiple cards in your TAP account (iPhone 5 and above). - Add your TAP card to Apple Wallet, enable Express Transit and quickly tap and pay when you board. You don't even have to wake up your phone! - Supports reduced fares for seniors, students, persons with disabilities and low-income riders. - Transfer a TAP card in your account to your Apple Wallet and leave the plastic at home. - Access multimodal programs such as Metro Bike Share. - Use Trip Tools to plan trips, find nearby transit options, view real-time arrivals and save favorite destinations and stops. - Enjoy the benefits of a TAP account, such as Balance Protection, card management, discounts, promotions, transaction history and friendly customer service. - Accepted on 27 transit systems in LA County including: Angels Flight Railway Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) Baldwin Park Transit Beach Cities Transit Burbank Bus Carson Circuit Compton Renaissance Transit System Culver CityBus Foothill Transit Gardena GTRANS Glendale Beeline Glendora Transportation Division Huntington Park Transit Unlimited LA County Department of Public Works LADOT Transit Lawndale Beat Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Long Beach Transit Metro Montebello Bus Lines Monterey Park Spirit Bus Norwalk Transit Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority Pasadena Transit Santa Clarita Transit Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Torrance Transit
AVTA On
Book and manage on-demand transit services. Schedule personalized express rides, track your vehicle in real-time, and view driver details for enhanced security. Plan your journeys with estimated arrival times for a fast and secure travel experience.
- Book one-time trips
- View and cancel future rides
- Schedule on-request services
- Track vehicle in real-time
- View driver and vehicle information
- See estimated arrival times
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Welcome to the Antelope Valley Transit Authority's AVTA On-Request App! AVTA On-Request lets you book one time trips and view or cancel future rides. Plan your next ride on your phone. Use AVTA On-Request to request or schedule your on-request services, such as Dial-A-Ride and On-Request Microtransit. The AVTA On-Request smartphone application lets you book personalized, express transit. Our technology will do the work to schedule professional transportation to fulfill your ride booking. You select a time that works for you, track your vehicle as it approaches, view driver and vehicle information to promote security, and view your ride in the app to gauge your ETA and make certain that your ultimate arrival time meets your needs. AVTA On-Request technology ensures that your ride will be fast and secure without ever being too crowded. To get started, enter your phone number you have on file with AVTA. If your phone number is on multiple AVTA accounts or you have any trouble logging in, please call 855-833-8541 to get started Your driver/customer service representative would be happy to show you how to set things up and get rolling.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: AVTA On at 2.5 against TAP LA's 1.9. AVTA On also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months). TAP LA's advantage is ratings volume (838 vs 11) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
AVTA On holds the better App Store score, 2.5 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TAP LA has 838 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 12% of TAP LA's written reviews are positive against 0% of AVTA On's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
TAP LA ships an update every 5 months, AVTA On every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TAP LA | AVTA On |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.9 (838 ratings) | 2.5 (11 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 11.9% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 838 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | #203 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 134 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | Via Transportation, Inc. |
Customer experience
TAP LA
AVTA On
Bugs and requests
TAP LA
Reported bugs
3 issues- Card registration and activation issues
- Disappearing funds and balances
- Inconsistent app performance
Requested features
4 requests- Allow multiple devices for one account
- Improve reliability of fund loading
- Provide more transparent transaction history
- Integrate with more payment methods
AVTA On
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TAP LA
No in-app purchases
AVTA On
No in-app purchases
