First Bus vs UK Bus Checker
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.
UK Bus Checker
Plan bus and public transport journeys across Great Britain. Get real-time arrival information, see how busy services are, and purchase mobile tickets. Supports buses, trains, trams, and more.
- Journey planning
- Real-time bus information
- Mobile ticket purchasing
- Live bus times
- Service occupancy indicators
- Multi-modal transport support
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The all-new Bus Checker allows you to plan journeys, see real-time bus information and buy mobile tickets all in one place, for buses right across Great Britain. Search for map locations and bus stops, plan your journey and see when the buses are coming, how busy they are - and where they’re going! It’s not just limited to buses either; with support for bus, train, tram, underground, ferry and more, UK Bus Checker can get you from A to B with ease. Experience the UK’s most popular independent bus times app today, and never be left waiting at a bus stop again. PS: Are your local bus operator’s tickets missing? You can send them an invite with just one tap.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: First Bus at none against UK Bus Checker's 1. First Bus also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and ratings volume (2.2K vs 91). UK Bus Checker's advantage is review sentiment (35% vs 23%). On price, rating, ads and monetization model 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. UK Bus Checker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. First Bus asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for First Bus against 4.6 for UK Bus Checker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Bus has 2.2K ratings behind it against 91, 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 35% of UK Bus Checker's.
First Bus ships an update weekly, UK Bus Checker monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First Bus | UK Bus Checker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.2K ratings) — better | 4.6 (91 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | 34.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.2K — better | 91 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 154 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FirstGroup Plc | UrbanThings Limited |
Customer experience
First Bus
UK Bus Checker
User reviews
First Bus
From 2.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Helpful for planning journeys
- 🚀 Accurate live bus tracking
- 💡 Ability to save favorite stops
- 👍 Convenient ticket purchasing
Room to improve
- 🐛 Unreliable bus arrival times
- 🐛 Buses disappearing from the app
- 🐛 Technical issues and app crashes
- 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive interface
- 🤔 Lack of service updates and notifications
UK Bus Checker
From 91 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗺️ Real-time bus tracking and location visibility
- 🌍 Comprehensive UK-wide bus coverage
- 👴 Easy to use interface for all ages
- 💾 Ability to save favorite bus stops
- 📍 Accurate bus arrival times (when working)
Room to improve
- 📺 Intrusive full-screen unskippable ads
- ⏱️ Ads too long (30-60 seconds)
- 💰 Expensive ad-free subscription (£6.99)
- 🔴 Inaccurate real-time bus information
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
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
UK Bus Checker
Reported bugs
18 issues- App fails to load nearby bus stops
- Buses disappear from app 2 minutes before arrival
- Incorrect bus timing predictions (off by 5-10 minutes)
- App doesn't recognize saved bus stops
- Location placed incorrectly on map
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Bus tracking not working on map
- Unable to uninstall app
- Ad locks up app functionality
- App crashes on opening
- Timetable not updating for holidays
- Live times showing as timetable only
- Bus routes missing from certain areas
- Map too small after selecting stop
- Unable to click on specific buses to track
- Black text on red background accessibility issue
- Sign-up requirement blocking app access
- Old timetable data not being deleted
- App not locating user on restart
Requested features
17 requests- Shorter or less frequent ads
- Ad-free subscription option
- Widget support for quick access
- Apple Watch app
- Cloud synchronization for saved stops
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Real-time GPS tracking for all bus operators
- Countdown timer for bus arrivals
- Interactive route maps with stop names
- Better accessibility for screen readers
- Color-coded bus stops on map
- Full-screen map option
- Bus journey only filter option
- Direct click-to-travel functionality
- Better handling of timetable updates and cancellations
- Improved location accuracy
- Notification widget for lock screen
- Support for multiple transport modes (trams, trains)
In-app purchases
First Bus
No in-app purchases
UK Bus Checker
- Remove the Ads (discounted)$6.99
Questions
Is First Bus free?
Is UK Bus Checker free?
Which has better reviews, First Bus or UK Bus Checker?
Do First Bus or UK Bus Checker have ads?
Which is updated more often, First Bus or UK Bus Checker?
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