PennTransit Mobile vs TriCo Transit Network
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PennTransit Mobile
Navigate campus and surrounding areas with real-time transit information. Plan trips, view schedules, and track shuttles for easy travel to, from, and around campus.
- Advanced Trip Planner
- Real-time Vehicle Locations
- Accurate Arrival Times
- Schedule & Route Review
- Intelligent Notifications
- On-Demand Shuttle Tracking
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PennTransit Mobile helps you travel to, from, and around campus and the surrounding neighborhoods easily. See all of your options in one place: Penn Bus East and West, On-Demand Shuttles, and specialty services like the Pennovation Works Shuttle and Penn Accessible Transit. This app provides you accurate vehicle locations and arrival times, ensuring you have the information you need when you need it so you can arrive safely and on time. Simply download the app, login securely with your PennKey, and you're ready to go! KEY FEATURES: Advanced Trip Planner—from your start location to your final destination, know the route you’re going to take and determine whether our fixed-route buses or on-demand shuttles will get you there faster. Schedule & Route Review—view route schedules on a stop-by-stop basis on all available routes so you can plan every trip ahead of time. The app also lets you know our service area boundaries so you can see if you need to use complimentary transportation such as SEPTA, LUCY, or Drexel Bus to get you to your final destination. Intelligent Notifications—subscribe to routes or stops to get arrival, departure, and delay information sent directly to your device. On-Demand—When using our on-demand shuttles, you can get a real-time view of your shuttle. Alerts – Check the app for updates from Penn Transit Services. Questions? Email transit@upenn.edu.
TriCo Transit Network
Get real-time bus locations, route maps, and estimated arrival times for the TriCo Transit Network. Receive timely notifications and view schedules to plan your journeys efficiently.
- Real-time bus locations
- Route maps
- Location-based ETAs
- Arrival notifications
- View route schedules
- ETA algorithm adjusts for changes
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Bus route information for the TriCo Transit Network. This app displays real-time information for transit buses with notifications and schedules. Please be advised that the arrival times displayed on the phone app may be delayed as much as 45 seconds behind the exact position of the bus. ::: Compatibility ::: iOS 8.0 or higher is required. ::: Support ::: Please e-mail us at support@peaktransit.com with any issues or questions. ::: Features ::: • Real-time location of the buses • Routes displayed on the map • Bus location-based ETAs • Arrival notifications • View Route Schedules ::: Notes ::: The ETA algorithm that automatically adjusts for seasonal route and schedule changes. However, the app needs 24 hours to refresh these changes within it's memory.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TriCo Transit Network at 100% against PennTransit Mobile's 25%. PennTransit Mobile's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (886 vs 1). 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.
PennTransit Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PennTransit Mobile has 886 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 25% of PennTransit Mobile's written reviews are positive against 100% of TriCo Transit Network's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
PennTransit Mobile ships an update every 8 months, TriCo Transit Network every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PennTransit Mobile | TriCo Transit Network |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (886 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 886 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 6 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | University of Pennsylvania | Bishop Peak Technology, Inc |
Customer experience
PennTransit Mobile
TriCo Transit Network
Bugs and requests
PennTransit Mobile
Reported bugs
2 issues- App not working properly
- Frequent route changes causing longer trips
Requested features
3 requests- Add notifications when buses arrive
- Provide more transparent bus schedules
- Improve security by calling users who don't show up
TriCo Transit Network
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PennTransit Mobile
No in-app purchases
TriCo Transit Network
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PennTransit Mobile free?
Is TriCo Transit Network free?
Which has better reviews, PennTransit Mobile or TriCo Transit Network?
Do PennTransit Mobile or TriCo Transit Network have ads?
Which is updated more often, PennTransit Mobile or TriCo Transit Network?
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