Forest vs Here East Shuttle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Forest
This app provides access to shared electric bikes across London for a faster, fun, and sustainable commute. Enjoy free ride minutes on every Pay As You Go trip after a small unlock fee.
- Shared electric bike service
- Thousands of ebikes across London
- Free ride minutes daily
- Pay As You Go pricing
- Ride bundles available
- Subscription option
- Watch ads for more free minutes
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Get from A to B with Forest, London’s homegrown shared ebike. Switch your usual journey by train or bus for a faster, fun, and more sustainable way to get around. Plus, we’re the only shared ebike app that after a £1 unlock, gives you up to 30 free ride minutes on every Pay As You Go (PAYG) ride. HOW TO GET STARTED: 1. Download the app, create a free account and accept our Terms and Conditions. 2. Find your nearest Forest bike out of thousands across London using the map in the app. 3. Unlock a bike for £1 using the QR codes on the bike itself, or by tapping the selected bike on the app. 4. Enjoy an emissions free ride! WAYS TO RIDE: 1. PAYG: Simply unlock a bike for £1, get up to 30 free ride minutes, then pay 29p thereafter. 2. Buy a bundle: If you’re making longer trips, or planning multiple trips over a longer time. 3. Subscribe to Forest Plus: If you want the best value riding option. Always ride responsibly, respect other road users, and follow the safety guidance provided in the Forest app. WHY YOU SHOULD RIDE WITH FOREST: Choose from thousands of ebikes available across 18 boroughs of London with free ride minutes available every day. Gain additional free ride minutes by watching ads. We’re B Corp Certified and have run a zero-emissions operation since day one.
Here East Shuttle
Purchase bus tickets securely and plan your journeys with live departure information. Access timetables, save favorites, and receive service updates for seamless travel.
- Mobile ticket purchasing
- Live departure times
- Journey planning
- Timetable access
- Favorite stops and routes
- Service disruption alerts
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Here East is the perfect mobile ticketing companion for getting around by bus. Mobile Tickets: Purchase mobile tickets securely with Apple Pay or a debit/credit card and show the driver when boarding - no more searching for cash! Live Departures: Browse and view bus stops on the map, explore upcoming departures, or check out the routes from a stop to see where you could travel next. Journey Planning: It’s now even easier to plan ahead with Here East. Timetables: We’ve squeezed the whole timetable into the palm of your hand. Favourites: You can quickly save your favourite Departure Boards, Timetables and Journeys, with quick access from one convenient menu. Service Updates: You’ll be able to keep up to date with disruption information inside the app. As always, we welcome your feedback. You can send it to us via the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Forest at 4.7 against Here East Shuttle's 1.0. Forest also leads on ratings volume (834 vs 1). Here East Shuttle's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.5). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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.
Forest holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forest has 834 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Forest ships an update weekly, Here East Shuttle fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Forest | Here East Shuttle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (834 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 11.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 834 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 219 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Human Forest Limited | Here East |
Customer experience
Forest
Here East Shuttle
Bugs and requests
Forest
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes and freezes frequently
- Inability to properly end rides and park bikes
- Inconsistent GPS tracking and bike availability
- Login and password reset issues
Requested features
4 requests- Improve app stability and responsiveness
- Provide clearer information on parking and no-ride zones
- Maintain high service quality and bike condition
- Offer transparent and fair pricing structure
Here East Shuttle
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Forest
No in-app purchases
Here East Shuttle
No in-app purchases
