SmarTrip vs dart scooters
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmarTrip
Manage your SmarTrip card and account with this optional tool. Register your card for balance protection, check benefits, set up auto-reload, or purchase transit passes. It can also be added to Apple Wallet for easy tap-to-pay.
- Manage SmarTrip card and account
- Add SmarTrip to Apple Wallet
- Register card for balance protection
- Check SmartBenefits
- Setup Auto-Reload
- Buy unlimited transit passes
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This app is an OPTIONAL tool that allows you to manage your SmarTrip® card and account. This app can NOT be used to pay your transit or parking fares. You do NOT need to setup a SmarTrip account to use SmarTrip in Apple Wallet. Add SmarTrip to Apple Wallet: - Open Apple Wallet on iPhone or Apple Watch - Tap “+”, choose “Transit Card”, select “SmarTrip” - In less than a minute you’ll have a new SmarTrip card in your Apple Wallet and be ready to tap to pay for rides or parking anywhere SmarTrip is accepted. If you need to do account management, then: - Install this optional SmarTrip app to register your card for account balance protection, check SmartBenefits, setup Auto-Reload, or buy money-saving unlimited transit passes. Chat with us at WMATA.COM/CHAT or call 888-SMARTRIP (888-762-7874)
dart scooters
Explore cities on fast and fun electric scooters. This app allows one rider to unlock and pay for multiple scooters, offering a unique city tour experience. Discover local partner offers and DIY tour options.
- Electric scooter rentals
- City exploration
- Unlock multiple scooters
- Promotions and offers
- DIY tours
- Easy sign-up and payment
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Dart scooters are more than just a point to point transportation, it's an experience you will never forget! Tour your favorite city on electric scooters that are fast, fun, and family friendly. One rider can unlock and pay for up to 4 dart scooters in the app. Promos, special offers from our local partners, and a simple ‘DIY’ tour also available. It's easy to get started: 1. Download the app. 2. Sign up using phone number and email address. 3. Add funds to wallet. 4. Scan the QR code to unlock scooter. 5. Scoot and park safely following local rules and laws. 6. Be sure to end your ride before you close out the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: dart scooters at 79% against SmarTrip's 11%. dart scooters also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.5) and ratings volume (298 vs 57). SmarTrip's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, 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.
dart scooters holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: dart scooters has 298 ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 11% of SmarTrip's written reviews are positive against 79% of dart scooters's.
SmarTrip ships an update every 5 months, dart scooters every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmarTrip | dart scooters |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (57 ratings) | 4.8 (298 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 10.6% of reviews | 78.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 57 | 298 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | Dart scooter inc. |
Customer experience
SmarTrip
dart scooters
User reviews
SmarTrip
From 57 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient for commuting
- 🚀 Seamless integration with Apple Wallet
- 🚀 Straightforward account setup
Room to improve
- 🐛 Unreliable card reading at turnstiles
- 🐛 Delayed balance updates
- 🐛 Buggy app functionality
- 🔒 Excessive personal information required
- 🔒 Difficult to recover account
dart scooters
From 298 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 🚀 Fast scooters
- 💰 Cheaper than competitors
- 👍 Great for touring cities/monuments
- 👍 Durable scooters
Room to improve
- 🐌 Slow breaks
- 💸 Expensive charges
- 🗺️ Poor coverage/service area restrictions
- 😬 Rickety and rough ride
- ❗ Annoying alarms when outside service area
Bugs and requests
SmarTrip
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unable to activate account due to missing activation email
- Password reset process not working
- Inconsistent behavior when adding value to card
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to transfer balance between cards
- Real-time balance updates
- Improved trip planning tools
- Apple Watch support
dart scooters
Reported bugs
2 issues- Scooter stopped working
- Alarm kept going off outside service area
Requested features
2 requests- Need more scooters in NW/American University area
- Wheels should absorb ground better
In-app purchases
SmarTrip
No in-app purchases
dart scooters
No in-app purchases
