# First Bus vs TV Buses

First Bus and TV Buses both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 59% of TV Buses's written reviews are positive against 23% of First Bus's. TV Buses also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). First Bus's advantage is ratings volume (2.2K vs 7) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, rating, 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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for First Bus against 4.7 for TV Buses. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Bus has 2.2K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 23% of First Bus's written reviews are positive against 59% of TV Buses's.

First Bus ships an update weekly, TV Buses fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | TV Buses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews) | **[4.7 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tv-buses/id1487448644/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | **58.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 154 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [Courtney Coaches LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1487448643) |

## 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


### TV Buses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tv-buses/id1487448644)

Plan your travel and purchase tickets for buses in the Thames Valley area. View live bus locations, real-time departures, and detailed timetables. Save favorite routes and stay updated on service disruptions.

**Highlights:** Mobile ticket purchase, Live bus tracking, Real-time departures, Journey planning, Timetables, Contactless journey history, Favorite routes

**Features:** Apple Wallet, 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 TV Buses free?

TV Buses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, First Bus or TV Buses?

TV Buses is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while TV Buses averages 4.7 from 7 ratings.

### Do First Bus or TV Buses have ads?

First Bus shows ads; TV Buses does not.

### Which is updated more often, First Bus or TV Buses?

First Bus ships an update weekly, and TV Buses fortnightly. Most recently, First Bus was updated on September 24, 2026 and TV Buses on September 10, 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.*