Comparison

OneBusAway vs Seattle Fire

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

Head to head
About

OneBusAway

Get real-time transit information for multiple regions, including Puget Sound. Plan your trips, receive departure alerts, and view live arrival times. Easily find nearby stops and save your favorite routes for quick access.

Highlights
  • Real-time arrival information
  • Trip planning
  • Departure alerts
  • Map display of stops and routes
  • Nearby stops search
  • Favorite routes widget
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

When's my bus? OneBusAway answers that question in real time, at every stop, across your whole region. Now with Live Activities: start tracking a ride and watch it approach from your Lock Screen, without opening the app. Free, open source, and built by a nonprofit in partnership with your transit agency. WHAT'S NEW - Live Activities — follow your bus, train, or ferry from the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. - A redesigned stop view that opens right from the map, putting real-time arrivals one tap away. FEATURES - Real-time arrivals wherever your agency provides them. - Departure alarms that nudge you before your ride pulls away. - Trip planning with door-to-door directions across every agency in your region. - See where your vehicle actually is on the map — buses, trains, ferries, streetcars, even funiculars. - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for the routes you check most. - Bookmarks and recent stops, so your daily commute is always a tap away. - Nearby stops found automatically, or search by route, address, or stop number. - Service alerts from your agency, right where you need them. WHERE ONEBUSAWAY WORKS - Davis, CA - New York, NY - San Diego, CA - Seattle / Tacoma / Puget Sound, WA - Tampa, FL - Washington, D.C. - Adelaide, Australia ABOUT OneBusAway is free and open source, maintained by transit riders and researchers since 2008. There are no ads and no account to create. The app is published by the Open Transit Software Foundation, an IRS-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has earned Silver Transparency status on Candid. Questions, feedback, or support: https://onebusaway.org/ OTSF on Candid: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/84-1786969

About

Seattle Fire

This app displays a live map and list of emergency calls from the Seattle Fire Department. It provides real-time information on incidents without any official affiliation with the city or department.

Highlights
  • Live incident map
  • Emergency call list
  • Real-time updates
  • Fire department data
Features
Read full description

Seattle Fire presents a live map and list of Seattle Fire Department emergency calls. This app has no affiliation with the City of Seattle or with the Seattle Fire Department.

Screenshots

OneBusAway4 screens
Seattle Fire4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: OneBusAway at 2.1K against Seattle Fire's 1. OneBusAway also leads on chart position (#147 vs unranked). Seattle Fire's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). 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

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

Seattle Fire holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OneBusAway has 2.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OneBusAway ships an update every 2 months, Seattle Fire every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
OneBusAway versus Seattle Fire: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOneBusAwaySeattle Fire
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#147 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOpen Transit Software FoundationMobile Geographics

Customer experience

OneBusAway

All ratings1,492 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews255 reviews
Positive56.5%
Neutral6.7%
Negative36.9%

Seattle Fire

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

OneBusAway

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashing when searching for routes
  • Bus stops not showing on map
  • Notifications not working
  • Inconsistent data between stops

Requested features

4 requests
  • Live bus tracking on map
  • Ability to report issues with bus arrivals
  • Apple Watch support
  • More customization options

Seattle Fire

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

OneBusAway

No in-app purchases

None

Seattle Fire

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OneBusAway free?
OneBusAway is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Seattle Fire free?
Seattle Fire is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, OneBusAway or Seattle Fire?
Seattle Fire is rated higher. OneBusAway averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Seattle Fire averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do OneBusAway or Seattle Fire have ads?
Neither OneBusAway nor Seattle Fire shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OneBusAway or Seattle Fire?
OneBusAway ships an update every 2 months, and Seattle Fire every 2 weeks. Most recently, OneBusAway was updated on October 29, 2026 and Seattle Fire on October 27, 2026.

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