Comparison

MBTA See Say vs Harvard Van

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

Head to head
About

MBTA See Say

Report suspicious activity discreetly and instantaneously to Transit Police. Send pictures, text messages, and locations. Receive service alerts and BOLO notifications.

Highlights
  • Report suspicious activity
  • Send photos and text messages
  • Share location data
  • Disable camera flash
  • Receive T-Alerts
  • View BOLO alerts
Features
Read full description

"See something Say something” for smartphones 

 The MBTA See Say App offers riders a quick and discreet method for reporting suspicious activity directly and instantaneously to Transit Police. Using this app, riders can send the MBTA Transit Police pictures, text messages, and locations of suspicious activity. From the App home screen, riders have two easy options for contacting Transit Police: * The “Report a Problem” button allows riders to send text or photos directly to Transit Police. To ensure discretion, the camera flash is automatically disabled when photos are taken through the app. When reporting an issue, riders can select station locations and report categories to assist transit police. * The “Call Transit Police” button will connect customers directly to Transit Police. The application is designed for the T. If you send a report in an area without cellular connectivity, it will be stored and sent when connectivity returns. The system is also design to send text before pictures so that Transit Police get reports as quickly as possible. 
 Additional Features Riders can sign up to receive MBTA T-Alerts through the app to be notified of service delays and disruptions. BOLO alerts. (Be On the Look Out) SeeSay may also display alerts from the MBTA. For example, SeeSay may display information about a missing person, such as where they were last seen. If you see this person you may call or send a report to Transit Police.

About

Harvard Van

Book on-demand shuttle rides around the Harvard University campus. Select your pickup and drop-off locations, track your van in real-time, and enjoy a safe and convenient travel experience. Matches riders going in the same direction for efficient routing.

Highlights
  • On-demand shuttle booking
  • Real-time van tracking
  • Customized and flexible routing
  • Campus-wide service area
  • Estimated pickup ETAs
  • Safe and convenient travel
Features
Read full description

The Harvard Evening Van app enables Harvard students, faculty, and administrators to book on-demand shuttle rides during the Evening Van service hours. The Harvard Evening Van app enables you to book a van to and from anywhere within the campus service area. Harvard Evening Van provides you a safe, convenient travel experience in and around the Harvard University campus. With the app you will be able to select your pick up location, tell us where you want to go, and track your van so you know when to head to the pick up location. The Harvard Evening Van is proudly operated by Harvard Transportation and powered by Via. A new way to get around the Harvard University campus The Harvard Evening Van matches customers with others going in the same direction via a customized and flexible route. Sophisticated technology coordinates your trip, picking you up from near your location or a convenient location nearby, and taking you to where you want to go within the service zone. On-demand On average, a vehicle will come in minutes, and you'll always get an estimate of your pickup ETA before booking. You can also track your van in real-time in the app. Try Harvard Evening Van, a new way to get around the Harvard University campus. Love our app? Please rate us! Questions? Email us at shuttle@harvard.edu

Screenshots

MBTA See Say3 screens
Harvard Van4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: MBTA See Say at free against Harvard Van's free with in-app purchases. MBTA See Say also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Harvard Van's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for MBTA See Say against 4.7 for Harvard Van. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 446 and 170 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of MBTA See Say's written reviews are positive against 60% of Harvard Van's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MBTA See Say ships an update every 3 months, Harvard Van every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MBTA See Say versus Harvard Van: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMBTA See SayHarvard Van
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (446 ratings)4.7 (170 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.3% of reviews — better60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings446 — better170
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB134 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperELERTS CorpVia Transportation, Inc.

Customer experience

MBTA See Say

All ratings446 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative29.1%

Harvard Van

All ratings170 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Bugs and requests

MBTA See Say

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Email validation error preventing login
  • Persistent alerts that won't clear
  • Shutter sound not disabling in camera
  • Comment/complaint option leads nowhere
  • Repeated notifications about resolved cases

Requested features

7 requests
  • Reduce number of steps in reporting process
  • Clearer suspect photos and descriptions
  • Batch delete alerts instead of individual dismissal
  • Better transit delay information integration
  • Less visible app icon on home screen
Show 2 more
  • Improved subway cell coverage support
  • Clarified guidelines for suspicious behavior reporting

Harvard Van

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MBTA See Say

No in-app purchases

None

Harvard Van

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MBTA See Say free?
MBTA See Say is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Harvard Van free?
Harvard Van is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MBTA See Say or Harvard Van?
Harvard Van is rated higher. MBTA See Say averages 4.6 out of 5 from 446 ratings, while Harvard Van averages 4.7 from 170 ratings.
Do MBTA See Say or Harvard Van have ads?
Neither MBTA See Say nor Harvard Van shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MBTA See Say or Harvard Van?
MBTA See Say ships an update every 3 months, and Harvard Van every 5 weeks. Most recently, MBTA See Say was updated on October 13, 2026 and Harvard Van on October 17, 2026.

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