# NY Waterway vs Stevens Shuttle

The clearest difference is monetization model: NY Waterway at free against Stevens Shuttle's free with in-app purchases. NY Waterway also leads on ratings volume (11K vs 346). Stevens Shuttle's advantage is review sentiment (31% vs 16%) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for NY Waterway against 4.8 for Stevens Shuttle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NY Waterway has 11K ratings behind it against 346, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 16% of NY Waterway's written reviews are positive against 31% of Stevens Shuttle's.

NY Waterway ships an update every 3 months, Stevens Shuttle every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NY Waterway | Stevens Shuttle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ny-waterway/id447641721/reviews)** | [4.8 (346 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stevens-shuttle/id1576344300/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **11K** | 346 |
| Positive reviews | 16.2% of reviews | **30.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 103 MB | 129 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bytemark, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/925346607) | [Via Transportation, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/657777018) |

## What reviewers say

### NY Waterway

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ny-waterway/id447641721)

Purchase ferry tickets paper-free and use your phone as your boarding pass. Securely store personal information and payment details for convenient travel across New York Harbor. Access route maps, schedules, and advisories for a seamless journey.

**Highlights:** Paper-free ticket purchasing, Phone as ticket, Secure encrypted transactions, Route maps, Schedules, Advisories, Bus locator

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient ticket purchase
- 👍 Friendly ferry crew

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent log-outs
- 🐛 Unreliable ticket activation
- 🐛 Inconsistent bus locator
- 🐛 Buggy app updates
- 🔒 Security issues with account access

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Inability to log in or access tickets
- Tickets disappearing from user accounts
- Compatibility issues with newer devices

**Requested features**

- Live ferry tracking
- Improved bus locator
- Seamless multi-ticket management
- Support for Apple Pay and other digital wallets
- Better user account management


### Stevens Shuttle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stevens-shuttle/id1576344300)

This app provides an on-demand shuttle service for safe and convenient travel around campus and within Hoboken, especially at night. Book rides easily through the app and share your journey with other users.

**Highlights:** On-demand shuttle booking, Campus and city travel, Safe night rides, Shared rides, Free service

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Enthusiastic and knowledgeable driver (Omar)
- ✨ Magnificent and elevated travel experience (J.H. Cromwell)
- 👍 App is great overall (sbawa2)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Never accurate pickup times
- 😞 Shuttle arrives early and leaves
- 😞 No way to arrive on time
- 😞 Shuttle system is frustrating
- 😞 Limited pickup spots

**Reported bugs**

- Pickup times are inaccurate
- Notifications are misleading
- Shuttles cancel without notice
- Call feature is non-functional
- Password reset texts do not arrive

**Requested features**

- Improve pickup time accuracy
- Expand pickup locations
- Ensure shuttle operates until advertised closing time
- Fix call feature
- Improve driver training/address driver issues


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NY Waterway free?

NY Waterway is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Stevens Shuttle free?

Stevens Shuttle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, NY Waterway or Stevens Shuttle?

NY Waterway is rated higher. NY Waterway averages 4.8 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Stevens Shuttle averages 4.8 from 346 ratings.

### Do NY Waterway or Stevens Shuttle have ads?

Neither NY Waterway nor Stevens Shuttle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NY Waterway or Stevens Shuttle?

NY Waterway ships an update every 3 months, and Stevens Shuttle every 6 weeks. Most recently, NY Waterway was updated on November 11, 2026 and Stevens Shuttle on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*