Comparison

PennTransit Mobile vs TriCo Transit Network

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Advanced Trip Planner
  • Real-time Vehicle Locations
  • Accurate Arrival Times
  • Schedule & Route Review
  • Intelligent Notifications
  • On-Demand Shuttle Tracking
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time bus locations
  • Route maps
  • Location-based ETAs
  • Arrival notifications
  • View route schedules
  • ETA algorithm adjusts for changes
Features
Read full description

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

PennTransit Mobile4 screens
TriCo Transit Network4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PennTransit Mobile versus TriCo Transit Network: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPennTransit MobileTriCo Transit Network
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (886 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings886 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUniversity of PennsylvaniaBishop Peak Technology, Inc

Customer experience

PennTransit Mobile

All ratings760 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral1.7%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%

TriCo Transit Network

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

None

PennTransit Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

TriCo Transit Network

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PennTransit Mobile free?
PennTransit Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TriCo Transit Network free?
TriCo Transit Network is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PennTransit Mobile or TriCo Transit Network?
PennTransit Mobile is rated higher. PennTransit Mobile averages 4.8 out of 5 from 886 ratings, while TriCo Transit Network averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do PennTransit Mobile or TriCo Transit Network have ads?
Neither PennTransit Mobile nor TriCo Transit Network shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PennTransit Mobile or TriCo Transit Network?
PennTransit Mobile ships an update every 8 months, and TriCo Transit Network every 6 months. Most recently, PennTransit Mobile was updated on November 3, 2026 and TriCo Transit Network on November 4, 2026.

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