# First Bus vs Hawk Express Cabs

The clearest difference is ads: Hawk Express Cabs at none against First Bus's shown. Hawk Express Cabs also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). First Bus's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (2.2K vs 2). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Hawk Express Cabs holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Bus has 2.2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of First Bus's written reviews are positive against 40% of Hawk Express Cabs's.

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, Hawk Express Cabs every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | Hawk Express Cabs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hawk-express-cabs/id1138014981/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | **39.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 149 MB | 295 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [Hawk Express Cabs Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/918075044) |

## What reviewers say

### First Bus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379)

Plan your bus journeys, track buses in real-time, and purchase digital tickets. Save favorite routes and stops for quick access. Manage your account and payments securely for a convenient travel experience.

**Highlights:** Journey planning, Live bus tracking, Digital ticket purchasing, Save favorite stops, Departure board, Gifting tickets

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for planning journeys
- 🚀 Accurate live bus tracking
- 💡 Ability to save favorite stops
- 👍 Convenient ticket purchasing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable bus arrival times
- 🐛 Buses disappearing from the app
- 🐛 Technical issues and app crashes
- 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive interface
- 🤔 Lack of service updates and notifications

**Reported bugs**

- App pausing music playback
- Inconsistent bus tracking and location data
- Inability to purchase certain ticket types

**Requested features**

- Offline ticket access
- Improved journey planning with timetables
- Service change notifications
- Simpler and more user-friendly interface


### Hawk Express Cabs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hawk-express-cabs/id1138014981)

Book a taxi quickly and easily with priority service. Features include a price estimator, driver tracking, and the ability to schedule future rides. Ideal for business users with expense automation.

**Highlights:** Passwordless registration, Business account login for expense automation, Price estimator for trip costs, Driver and vehicle tracking, Schedule future trips

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Friendly drivers
- 👍 Clean cars
- 👍 Fast service
- 👍 Accurate service
- 👍 Good customer service

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Appalling service
- 👎 Drivers always late
- 👎 Drivers confirmed last minute
- 👎 No one monitors the app
- 👎 Total waste of time

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes
- App is slow
- App is glitchy
- Confirmation code not received
- Error messages displayed

**Requested features**

- Improve pre-booking reliability
- Ensure drivers prioritize pre-booked times
- Monitor the app for issues
- Provide clear communication on booking policies
- Improve customer service responsiveness


## Frequently asked questions

### Is First Bus free?

First Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hawk Express Cabs free?

Hawk Express Cabs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, First Bus or Hawk Express Cabs?

Hawk Express Cabs is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Hawk Express Cabs averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do First Bus or Hawk Express Cabs have ads?

First Bus shows ads; Hawk Express Cabs does not.

### Which is updated more often, First Bus or Hawk Express Cabs?

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, and Hawk Express Cabs every 2 months. Most recently, First Bus was updated on October 15, 2026 and Hawk Express Cabs on October 11, 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.*