First Bus vs High Peak
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Journey planning
- Live bus tracking
- Digital ticket purchasing
- Save favorite stops
- Departure board
- Gifting tickets
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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.
High Peak
Purchase and display mobile tickets for bus journeys. Track live bus locations and receive important service updates to stay informed about your travel.
- Purchase M-tickets
- Display QR code tickets
- Track live bus locations
- Receive service announcements
- Account creation
- Card setup
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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 High Peak. 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 bus while service updates make sure you are always informed about your journey.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: High Peak at none against First Bus's shown. High Peak also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (38% vs 23%). First Bus's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
First Bus ships an update weekly, High Peak every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First Bus | High Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.2K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | 37.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.2K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 154 MB | 137 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FirstGroup Plc | Rise Digital Media Limited |
Customer experience
First Bus
High Peak
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
High Peak
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
First Bus
No in-app purchases
High Peak
No in-app purchases








