Comparison

Bus & Tram vs Charta Driver

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bus & Tram

Plan your bus and tram journeys in Edinburgh and the Lothians with real-time arrival information. Purchase mobile tickets directly within the app and receive live updates on delays and diversions.

Highlights
  • Journey planning with interactive map
  • Real-time bus and tram arrival times
  • Mobile ticket purchasing
  • Live travel and service updates
  • Customizable route suggestions
  • Service notifications
Features
Read full description

The new Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams app has everything you need to seamlessly travel on buses and trams in and around Edinburgh and the Lothians. Journey Planning Planning your journey around Edinburgh has never been easier. You can view your location on the interactive map and plan a route to your desired location. You can tailor the results to your travel preferences and we'll show you the most practical routes to get you where you need to be. Real-time Information Stay up to date with all the latest information regarding bus and tram arrival and departure times. The interactive map shows every bus and tram stop around you with subsequent real-time information about services at the selected location. Mobile Ticketing Passengers can now purchase a number of ticket types all on the one app. The app will learn ticket purchase behaviour and can present suggestions for frequently purchased tickets. Make use of our handy filters and find the tickets you need whether you're travelling across the region, in the city or to the Airport. Travel and Service Information The new and updated app can give you live updates about travel and service information, such as delays and diversions. If a stop is selected on the app, passengers will get the most up to date service information regarding the routes that serve the selected stop. Passengers have the opportunity to turn on notifications to get the latest service information straight to their smartphone.

About

Charta Driver

Features
Read full description

At Charta, we combine AI Confirmation, Sentient Validation, and vigilant Live Tracking to guarantee your safety and satisfaction with every rental.

Screenshots

Bus & Tram4 screens
Charta Driver1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Charta Driver at every 4 days against Bus & Tram's monthly. Charta Driver also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 16.0). On price, ads, 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

Bus & Tram ships an update monthly, Charta Driver every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Bus & Tram versus Charta Driver: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBus & TramCharta Driver
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (235 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews15.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings235 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB58 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperLothian Buses plcCharta

Bugs and requests

Bus & Tram

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App refreshes when switching away
  • Address search returns irrelevant results

Requested features

4 requests
  • Bring back 'take me home' button
  • Allow saving of favorite stops without login
  • Integrate live departure times with route planning
  • Improve map view to show bus locations

Charta Driver

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bus & Tram

No in-app purchases

None

Charta Driver

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bus & Tram free?
Bus & Tram is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Charta Driver free?
Charta Driver is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Bus & Tram or Charta Driver have ads?
Neither Bus & Tram nor Charta Driver shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bus & Tram or Charta Driver?
Bus & Tram ships an update monthly, and Charta Driver every 4 days. Most recently, Bus & Tram was updated on November 3, 2026 and Charta Driver on November 4, 2026.

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