Comparison

First Bus vs Kelvin Kabs

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

Kelvin Kabs

Book and manage taxi rides with ease. This app provides a faster, more efficient service by allowing you to order, track, and pay for your journey directly. Bypass call queues and enjoy real-time updates for a seamless travel experience.

Highlights
  • Order a taxi
  • Cancel a booking
  • Track vehicle on map
  • Real-time notifications
  • Pay by cash or card
  • Schedule exact pick-up times
  • Store favorite locations
Features
Read full description

Kelvin Kabs are the biggest, most professional and fastest taxi service in East Kilbride. Our App puts you in total control of your taxi booking, in turn giving you a faster and more efficient service. Through this app you can: • Order a taxi • Cancel a booking • Track the vehicle on the map as it makes its way towards you! • Receive real-time notifications of the status of your taxi • Pay by cash or with card • Order a taxi for an exact pick-up time • Store your favourite pick up points for easy booking Furthermore, our app allows our customers to bypass our call centre, this means no more lengthy waits in our call queues at peak booking times. Get our fastest ever service from your initial booking to your final destination!

Screenshots

First Bus4 screens
Kelvin Kabs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Kelvin Kabs at 58% against First Bus's 23%. Kelvin Kabs also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). First Bus's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (2.2K vs 3). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Kelvin Kabs 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 3, 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 58% of Kelvin Kabs's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, Kelvin Kabs every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
First Bus versus Kelvin Kabs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst BusKelvin Kabs
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.2K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.5% of reviews58.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB214 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFirstGroup PlcHastie Cars LTD

Customer experience

First Bus

All ratings2,215 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral3.6%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews902 reviews
Positive22.5%
Neutral11.6%
Negative65.9%

Kelvin Kabs

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive58.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative41.9%

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

Kelvin Kabs

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

First Bus

No in-app purchases

None

Kelvin Kabs

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First Bus free?
First Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kelvin Kabs free?
Kelvin Kabs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, First Bus or Kelvin Kabs?
Kelvin Kabs is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Kelvin Kabs averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do First Bus or Kelvin Kabs have ads?
First Bus shows ads; Kelvin Kabs does not.
Which is updated more often, First Bus or Kelvin Kabs?
First Bus ships an update every 9 days, and Kelvin Kabs every 3 months. Most recently, First Bus was updated on October 26, 2026 and Kelvin Kabs on October 24, 2026.

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