First Bus vs Go2Gate
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.
Go2Gate
Book on-demand minibus transportation between Dedworth and Heathrow Airport. This app functions like a personal taxi, offering convenient pick-ups and drop-offs close to your home or directly at Heathrow Terminal 5. Track your bus in real-time and book up to 28 days in advance.
- On-demand minibus booking
- Dedworth to Heathrow Airport routes
- Real-time bus tracking
- Book up to 28 days in advance
- Wheelchair accessible
- Luggage space
- Bike transport
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Pre-book transportation between Dedworth and Heathrow, from around 03:00 to 23:30 seven days a week, except Christmas Day. Whether you're flying off somewhere or work at the airport, we're making it so much easier to get between Dedworth and Heathrow Airport, and home again, any day of the week at the times that suit you. Go2Gate is a minibus for the Dedworth area that is more like your own personal taxi that you can only book on this app. It will pick you up or drop you off close to home - a map will help you select the location, and this app will show you where to wait. Go2Gate will drop you off or pick you up right outside Heathrow Terminal 5, from where it's easy to access other parts of the airport using the free trains, Tube and H30 bus. This app will show you where to wait at Heathrow Terminal 5 for your ride home. You can book up to 28 days in advance. We can take bookings up to a few minutes before you want to travel, although we may ask to pick you up or drop you off from a slightly different location in Dedworth, in order to maintain journey times for all users. You can track your bus on this app up to 30 minutes before it arrives. Use a wheelchair? - No problem. Just make sure you reserve a wheelchair space when you make your booking. We also carry folded commuter bikes, like a Brompton or Tern. There is dedicated luggage space too. Children under 5 travel free, but must sit on your lap if seats are needed for other fare-paying passengers. Go2Gate is operated by Thames Valley on behalf of Heathrow.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: First Bus at 4.7 against Go2Gate's 1.0. First Bus also leads on ratings volume (2.2K vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Go2Gate's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
First Bus holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Bus has 2.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 23% of First Bus's written reviews are positive against 25% of Go2Gate's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
First Bus ships an update weekly, Go2Gate monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First Bus | Go2Gate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.2K ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | 25.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.2K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 154 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FirstGroup Plc | Padam Mobility |
Customer experience
First Bus
Go2Gate
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
Go2Gate
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
First Bus
No in-app purchases
Go2Gate
No in-app purchases









