CATS vs SafeRides
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CATS
This app provides a convenient mobile ticketing solution for public transit. Users can instantly purchase and use tickets directly from their smartphone, plan trips with step-by-step directions, and manage their transit passes. It offers multiple payment options and integration with other transit-related services.
- Instant mobile ticket purchase
- Trip planning with directions
- Debit/credit card and mobile payment options
- Save favorite routes and passes
- Connect to other CATS apps
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It’s the way to pay! CATS-Pass is the official mobile ticketing app for the Charlotte Area Transit System. CATS-Pass offers a convenient way for you to purchase and use tickets instantly on your smartphone – anywhere, anytime. CATS-Pass also gives you access to trip planning tools. Download the app, buy your transit pass and plan your trip, right from your phone. Features include: • Purchase passes instantly via debit/credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay • Step-by-step travel directions • Cash Wallet feature • Personalize the app by saving your favorite routes and pass types • Connect to other CATS Apps including: ◦ CATS See/Say ◦ CATS Art In Transit ◦ TrackCATS
SafeRides
Earn extra income by providing safe rides to students and verified community members. Enjoy flexible scheduling, set your own prices, and benefit from in-app navigation and fast payouts within geofenced campus areas.
- Flexible scheduling
- Set your own price per seat
- Verified riders
- In-app navigation
- Fast payouts
- Campus & community focus
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SafeRides Driver — Drive for Your Campus, On Your Schedule Turn your car into income. SafeRides Driver connects verified student drivers with riders on your own campus — safe, flexible, and built around your schedule. Why Drive with SafeRides Set Your Own Hours Drive when it works for you — between classes, weekend nights, or whenever you want to earn. Verified Riders Only Every rider signs up with their school email. You're never picking up a stranger off the street. Live Ride Requests See ride requests from students on your campus in real time. Accept the ones that work for your route. 4-Digit Pickup Verification Confirm every pickup with a unique code — no confusion, no wrong passengers. Track Your Earnings See your payouts, ride history, and earnings breakdown right in the app. How It Works Sign up with your school email and pass a background check Go online when you're ready to drive Accept ride requests near you Confirm pickup with the rider's 4-digit code Get paid Built by Students, for Students SafeRides is campus-only — you're driving people who go to your school, on routes you already know. Flexible income, verified riders, real safety. Download SafeRides Driver and start earning.
Screenshots
Verdict
CATS and SafeRides both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of SafeRides's written reviews are positive against 53% of CATS's. SafeRides also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and device support (3 vs 1). CATS's advantage is ratings volume (17K vs 8). On price, rating, 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.
SafeRides holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CATS has 17K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of CATS's written reviews are positive against 100% of SafeRides's.
CATS ships an update every 4 months, SafeRides weekly. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.
| Parameter | CATS | SafeRides |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (17K ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 17K — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 122 MB | 73 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | City of Charlotte | Coetzee Tech LLC |
Customer experience
CATS
SafeRides
Bugs and requests
CATS
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unable to create new user accounts
- Keyboard issues during sign-up process
- Discrepancies between app and physical bus stop times
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to delete payment methods
- Improved bus and train schedule information
- Notifications for bus arrival times
- Discounted passes for seniors and disabled riders
SafeRides
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
CATS
No in-app purchases
SafeRides
No in-app purchases









