Comparison

First Bus vs Ruter

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

Ruter

Plan your journeys and purchase tickets for public transport in Oslo and Akershus. This app provides real-time departure information, route planning, and allows you to see vehicle locations and crowding levels. It also offers options for renting e-scooters, e-bikes, and city bikes.

Highlights
  • Plan journeys from A to B
  • Buy tickets for public transport
  • Real-time departure times
  • Live vehicle tracking
  • See crowding information
  • Rent e-scooters and bikes
Features
Read full description

The Ruter app gives you full mobility in Oslo and Akershus. Find all departures and get around with public transport such as trams, metro, buses and ferries. Select your preferred modes of transport, find the best routes and buy your tickets – all in one app. Top features in the Ruter app: • Buy tickets for public transport – for yourself and others • Plan journeys from A to B • See all departure times, and use the map to see where your mode of transportation is in real time • See how crowded the bus or tram is • Get relevant service disruption information • Add favourites to save places you visit often • See accessibility information for stops • Pay by card, Vipps or Apple Pay Unlock more features by creating a personal profile: • Find, ride and pay for e-scooters, e-bikes and city bikes • Save your journeys for later • Store tickets, history and favourites – even if you change phones • Get access to new concepts and products With a Ruter profile you’ll also get quicker and more convenient customer service. We’re always happy to hear from you if you need help, have feedback or suggestions for improvement. Tips to get even more out of the Ruter app: • If you share your location, the app will show you nearby stops and give you more accurate and relevant travel suggestions. • Use smart widgets to buy tickets or see departures from your favourite stops. Keep an eye out for more features in the future – and thank you for travelling with us!

Screenshots

First Bus4 screens
Ruter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Ruter at none against First Bus's shown. Ruter also leads on review sentiment (51% vs 23%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for First Bus against 4.8 for Ruter. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.2K and 3.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 23% of First Bus's written reviews are positive against 51% of Ruter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
First Bus versus Ruter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst BusRuter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.2K ratings)4.8 (3.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.8% of reviews51.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K3.8K — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size154 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFirstGroup PlcRuter As

Customer experience

First Bus

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

Ruter

All ratings3,849 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive51.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative42.1%

User reviews

First Bus

From 2.2K App Store ratings

What 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

Ruter

From 3.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Smooth and easy to use
  • 🚀 Helpful for navigating public transport
  • 🚀 Provides real-time updates on bus/train arrivals
  • 💡 Allows purchasing tickets within the app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Issues with account registration, especially for non-Norwegian phone numbers
  • 🐛 Unreliable real-time arrival information
  • 🔍 Lack of support for train and ferry travel
  • 🤔 Confusing to determine the right ticket to purchase

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

Ruter

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tickets disappearing after phone restart
  • Verification codes not being received
  • App crashing or freezing on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to manually reorder shortcut stations
  • Offline support for proof of fare
  • Improved walking directions between connections
  • Support for international credit cards and Apple Pay

In-app purchases

None

First Bus

No in-app purchases

None

Ruter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First Bus free?
First Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ruter free?
Ruter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, First Bus or Ruter?
Ruter is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Ruter averages 4.8 from 3.8K ratings.
Do First Bus or Ruter have ads?
First Bus shows ads; Ruter does not.
Which is updated more often, First Bus or Ruter?
First Bus ships an update weekly, and Ruter weekly. Most recently, First Bus was updated on September 24, 2026 and Ruter on September 23, 2026.

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