Public Mobile vs Bus Status
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Public Mobile
Manage your prepaid mobile subscription entirely through an app. Choose affordable plans with no contracts or hidden fees, and handle everything from plan selection to support within the application.
- 5G mobile subscription
- Affordable prepaid plans
- No contracts or hidden fees
- Manage everything in the app
- eSIM or pSIM options
- In-app activation
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Subscription, meet phone. Public Mobile is Canada’s first 5G mobile subscription provider. We offer affordable, reliable prepaid phone plans with no contracts, no hidden fees, no overage charges and no trips to a store. Everything happens in the app: pick your features, get support, and make changes. You know what you need, so we built it to run on your terms. HOW TO GET STARTED 1. Download the Public Mobile app. 2. Choose the subscription plan that fits best for you. 3. Choose from an eSIM or pSIM. 4. Activate in the app. That’s it, you’re connected. Download the Public Mobile app now, or learn more at PublicMobile.ca.
Bus Status
This app allows parents to track their school district's buses and receive real-time updates on cancellations, delays, or early arrivals. Users can select specific buses to follow and get push notifications for important changes.
- Follow specific school buses
- Receive push notifications
- Track cancellations
- Monitor delays
- Get early arrival alerts
- District-verified accuracy
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Bus Status 4 enables parents to stay up to date on their school district's buses. Choose which buses to follow, and receive push notifications when a favourited bus is cancelled, delayed, or early! The accuracy of all bus information is ensured by each subscribing district.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Public Mobile at 4.6 against Bus Status's 1.7. Public Mobile also leads on review sentiment (45% vs 11%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). Bus Status's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Public Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Public Mobile has 259 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Public Mobile's written reviews are positive against 11% of Bus Status's.
Public Mobile ships an update every 3 weeks, Bus Status every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Public Mobile | Bus Status |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (259 ratings) — better | 1.7 (15 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 44.7% of reviews — better | 11.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 259 — better | 15 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TELUS Communications Inc. | Box Clever |
Customer experience
Public Mobile
Bus Status
Bugs and requests
Public Mobile
Reported bugs
5 issues- Activation issues
- Logging in problems
- App crashes and freezes
- Unreliable service
- Billing and payment issues
Requested features
3 requests- Wifi calling
- Support for iPad/tablets
- Improve customer service access
Bus Status
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Public Mobile
No in-app purchases
Bus Status
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Public Mobile free?
Is Bus Status free?
Which has better reviews, Public Mobile or Bus Status?
Do Public Mobile or Bus Status have ads?
Which is updated more often, Public Mobile or Bus Status?
Other comparisons
