Comparison

First Bus vs Swindon 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

Swindon Bus

Plan your journeys, view live departures, and purchase mobile tickets for bus travel in Swindon. Access timetables, save favorites, and stay updated on service disruptions.

Highlights
  • Mobile ticket purchase
  • Live departure times
  • Route planning
  • Timetable access
  • Favorite routes and stops
  • Service disruption alerts
Features
Read full description

Our new app has everything you need to get around Swindon with Swindon's Bus Company. It’s packed full of everything you’ll need to get mobile on the bus. Mobile Tickets: Purchase mobile tickets securely with Apple Pay or a debit/credit card and show the driver when boarding - no more searching for cash! Live Departures: Browse and view bus stops on the map, explore upcoming departures, or check out the routes from a stop to see where you could travel next. Journey Planning: Plan your commute, trip to the shops or night out with friends. It’s now even easier to plan ahead with Swindon's Bus Company. Timetables: We’ve squeezed all of our routes and timetables into the palm of your hand. Favourites: You can quickly save your favourite Departure Boards, Timetables and Journeys, with quick access from one convenient menu. Disruptions: You’ll be able to keep up to date with service changes directly from our disruption feeds inside the app. As always, we welcome your feedback. You can send it to us via the app.

Screenshots

First Bus4 screens
Swindon Bus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Swindon Bus at 62% against First Bus's 23%. Swindon Bus also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). First Bus's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First Bus ships an update weekly, Swindon Bus fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
First Bus versus Swindon Bus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst BusSwindon Bus
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.8% of reviews61.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size154 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFirstGroup PlcThe Go-Ahead Group plc

Customer experience

First Bus

All ratings2,180 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral3.6%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews864 reviews
Positive22.8%
Neutral11.5%
Negative65.7%

Swindon Bus

Written reviews13 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative38.5%

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

Swindon Bus

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

First Bus

No in-app purchases

None

Swindon Bus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First Bus free?
First Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Swindon Bus free?
Swindon Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do First Bus or Swindon Bus have ads?
First Bus shows ads; Swindon Bus does not.
Which is updated more often, First Bus or Swindon Bus?
First Bus ships an update weekly, and Swindon Bus fortnightly. Most recently, First Bus was updated on September 24, 2026 and Swindon Bus on September 19, 2026.

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