# First Bus vs White Bus

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.

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

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | White Bus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews) | **[5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/white-bus/id1441629652/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | **28.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 149 MB | 138 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [Rise Digital Media Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/893223527) |

## 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


### White Bus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/white-bus/id1441629652)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


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