Comparison

First Bus vs Fasteroute

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

Fasteroute

Get live UK train departure and arrival information for the National Rail network. Easily check train status, platform numbers, and departure times. Follow trains in real-time and find your nearest station.

Highlights
  • Live train departures and arrivals
  • Train reliability status (on time, late, cancelled)
  • Platform information
  • Real-time train tracking
  • Nearest station finder
  • Favorite stations and routes
Features
Read full description

Live train departures and arrivals on the National Rail network with train reliability. - Search for a particular station. - See at a glance if your train is on time, late or cancelled. - Know which platform to go to and how long until your train departs. - Find your nearest station. - Display only the trains that stop at a particular station. - Save your favourite stations and routes for quick and easy access. - Follow trains in real-time, see stopping stations and the reasons for delays and cancellations. Simple and easy to use. Displayed beautifully. Powered by National Rail Enquiries.

Screenshots

First Bus4 screens
Fasteroute4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Fasteroute at none against First Bus's shown. Fasteroute also leads on review sentiment (53% vs 23%) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). First Bus's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). 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, Fasteroute every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
First Bus versus Fasteroute: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst BusFasteroute
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.2K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews22.8% of reviews53.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size154 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFirstGroup PlcGeorge Goldberg

Customer experience

First Bus

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

Fasteroute

Written reviews15 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral26.7%
Negative20.0%

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

Fasteroute

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

First Bus

No in-app purchases

None

Fasteroute

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First Bus free?
First Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fasteroute free?
Fasteroute is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do First Bus or Fasteroute have ads?
First Bus shows ads; Fasteroute does not.
Which is updated more often, First Bus or Fasteroute?
First Bus ships an update weekly, and Fasteroute every 3 months. Most recently, First Bus was updated on September 24, 2026 and Fasteroute on September 14, 2026.

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