Comparison

First Bus vs White Bus

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

Head to head
About

First Bus

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
Read full description

Plan your journey, track your bus, and travel with confidence using the First Bus app. With real-time updates, mobile tickets, and personalised tools, getting around by bus has never been easier. Bus travellers can buy, gift, and activate digital bus tickets, manage secure payments, and save favourite locations, stops, and services for quicker access. The app also supports account management, consent management, while providing access to help and support features. Whether you’re commuting, exploring, or travelling occasionally, the app helps you stay in control from door to door. Planning your journey Find the best routes using locations, stops, or service numbers. View routes, timings, and stop information to plan trips that suit you. Live Bus tracking See your bus in real time on an interactive map and get more accurate arrival estimates. This feature helps reduce waiting uncertainty, improves journey planning, and enables users to make informed travel decisions by knowing exactly where their bus is at any moment. Departure Board Check upcoming services for either your stop or route, with clear timings and filtering (such as First Bus only) options. The time and dates can also be easily adjusted for future travel plans. Favourites Save your most-used stops, locations, and bus services for quick access every time you travel. Buying Buy, gift, and activate digital tickets directly in the app with a variety of filters. Secure payments and instant access mean no paper tickets needed. Tickets appear instantly ready to use in your account. Gifting Send tickets to friends or family quickly and easily. During the ticket buying flow, users can choose to gift a ticket instead of using it themselves, enter recipient details, and complete the purchase securely. Activating Tickets Activate your ticket in the First Bus app when you’re ready to travel. Once activated, it clearly shows its status and validity, making it quick and easy to present when boarding the bus. Account and Payments The First Bus app lets users securely manage their account and payment details in one place. Users can sign up, sign in, and reset their password if needed, as well as view and update their personal information and account settings. They can also choose to delete their account if required. Within the app, users can manage saved payment cards, set a default payment method, and remove cards at any time. All payment information is handled securely, helping ensure a smooth, safe, and convenient ticket purchasing experience. Preferences Choose your region, set walking distance preferences, and manage consent and notifications. Help and support Access FAQs , contacts and support resources in our dedicated help centre.

About

White Bus

Purchase and display mobile tickets for bus journeys. Track live bus locations and receive important service updates to stay informed about your travel.

Highlights
  • Purchase M-tickets
  • Display QR code tickets
  • Track live bus locations
  • Receive service announcements
  • Create user accounts
  • Set up payment cards
Features
Read full description

Buy and display a range of M-tickets, track live buses and stay up to date with service announcements through the app. Create an account, set up your card, choose a ticket and you're ready to ride with White Bus. Our M-tickets have a QR code that you simply scan to validate! Real-Time information lets you know when the next bus is due and allows you to track your journey while service updates make sure you are always informed about your journey.

Screenshots

First Bus4 screens
White Bus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: White Bus at none against First Bus's shown. White Bus 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 3 months) and ratings volume (2.2K vs 11). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support 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

White Bus 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 11, 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 29% of White Bus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, White Bus every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
First Bus versus White Bus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst BusWhite Bus
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.2K ratings)5.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.8% of reviews28.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K — better11
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB138 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFirstGroup PlcRise Digital Media Limited

Customer experience

First Bus

All ratings2,215 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral3.6%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews879 reviews
Positive22.8%
Neutral11.6%
Negative65.6%

White Bus

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative64.3%

Bugs and requests

First Bus

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

White Bus

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

First Bus

No in-app purchases

None

White Bus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First Bus free?
First Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is White Bus free?
White Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, First Bus or White Bus?
White Bus is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while White Bus averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.
Do First Bus or White Bus have ads?
First Bus shows ads; White Bus does not.
Which is updated more often, First Bus or White Bus?
First Bus ships an update every 9 days, and White Bus every 3 months. Most recently, First Bus was updated on October 15, 2026 and White Bus on October 2, 2026.

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