Translink Planner vs RTA Le Pass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Translink Planner
Plan bus, coach, and rail journeys across Northern Ireland and border regions. Get real-time travel updates, view departure boards, and purchase tickets for specific rail services. Features include interactive planning, ticket storage, and personalized alerts.
- Interactive journey planning
- Purchase NI Railways tickets
- In-app ticket wallet
- Real-time departure boards
- Personalized travel updates
- Accessible planning options
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Plan Northern Ireland and cross border bus, coach and rail journeys with the Translink Journey Planner. Plan from any stop, station or address, see your next departures and get the latest travel updates from Metro, Glider, Ulsterbus, Goldline, NI Railways and Enterprise services. You can also buy single, day return and 3 day select tickets for NI Railways journeys. Features include: - Fully interactive journey planning - Buy single, day return and 3 day Select tickets for NI Railways services - Store purchased tickets within the app wallet - ‘Next Service’ departure board - Plan with Park and ride and bike journeys - Personalised travel updates - Accessible planning - Interactive map planning with real-time Metro and Glider location and a tracking feature - Quick planning using your current location, favourite stops and recent searches - CO2 journey saving calculation
RTA Le Pass
Purchase and use digital transit passes for buses, streetcars, and ferries directly from your phone. Plan your entire journey with real-time service alerts and step-by-step navigation. Simply tap to pay your fare and show your phone when boarding.
- Buy bus, streetcar, and ferry passes
- Digital fare payment
- Journey planning
- Real-time service alerts
- Step-by-step navigation
- Get-off alerts
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With Le Pass by New Orleans RTA, you can easily buy your bus, streetcar and ferry passes right on your phone. No need to wonder about where your ride is or fumble with cash. To pay your fare, just tap to use a pass and then show your phone when you enter the vehicle. Plan • Plan your entire journey without leaving the app. • View all lines running at stops near you. • Service Alerts keep you aware of issues ahead of time. • Save your favorite locations and lines for quick access. Pay • Purchase bus & train tickets and validate your digital pass with a tap. • Just show your digital pass to the operator when you board the vehicle. No scanning required! Ride • You’ll always be informed with step-by-step navigation. Get-off alerts are offered so you never miss your stop.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: RTA Le Pass at free against Translink Planner's free with in-app purchases. RTA Le Pass also leads on ratings volume (4.5K vs 215) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). Translink Planner's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.1). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Translink Planner holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RTA Le Pass has 4.5K ratings behind it against 215, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 19% of Translink Planner's written reviews are positive against 32% of RTA Le Pass's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Translink Planner ships an update every 6 months, RTA Le Pass every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Translink Planner | RTA Le Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (215 ratings) — better | 4.1 (4.5K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 18.5% of reviews | 31.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 215 | 4.5K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 111 MB | 190 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ulsterbus Ltd | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority |
Customer experience
Translink Planner
RTA Le Pass
User reviews
Translink Planner
From 215 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy journey planning functionality
- 🗺️ Helpful map integration for route visualization
- 📱 Modern app interface design
- 🚀 Quick access to timetable information
- 💾 Ability to save journeys to calendar
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inaccurate and unreliable bus/train times
- 😤 Frequent service cancellations not reflected in app
- 🔧 Clunky and unintuitive user interface
- ❌ Cannot purchase tickets within app
- 🗺️ Poor navigation and confusing layout
RTA Le Pass
From 4.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient for tourists
- 🚀 Jazzy Pass is a great deal
Room to improve
- 🐛 App doesn't work for international phone numbers
- 🐛 Unreliable bus/streetcar tracking
- 🐛 Difficult to purchase multiple tickets
- 🐛 Inaccurate schedule information
- 🐛 Rude and inconsistent bus/streetcar drivers
Bugs and requests
Translink Planner
Reported bugs
17 issues- App crashes on iPhone during ticket purchase
- Password reset emails not received
- Unable to renew or change passwords
- Journey planner adds unnecessary stops and complications
- Bus stops disappear when zooming in on map
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Location loading blocks text input
- App doesn't refresh automatically without returning to start page
- Tickets purchased not visible in app
- Cannot book tickets for multiple passengers
- Concession tickets unavailable on mobile
- Inconsistent journey suggestions vs actual timetables
- Bus times don't match timetable posters at stops
- Cancelled buses don't show as cancelled, just disappear
- App shows buses arriving but they never show up
- Incorrect fare calculations and pricing display
- Unable to access certain routes (e.g., Kilkeel from bus centre)
- Timetable PDFs show 'page not found' error
Requested features
18 requests- Unified app for journey planning AND ticket purchasing
- Live bus tracking with real-time location updates
- Ability to view actual departure times instead of countdown minutes
- Show actual time alongside minutes remaining
- Complaint/feedback option for late or cancelled services
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Simple timetable view without complex journey planning
- Live delay and cancellation notifications
- Apple Watch compatibility
- Exclude walking time option in journey results
- Direct access to timetables from home page
- Show platform/stop information for transfers
- One-click bus tracking from schedule view
- Ability to book tickets for groups over 10 people
- Support for concession tickets on mobile devices
- Better accessibility for tourists and non-locals
- Contactless card payment on vehicles
- Extended booking window beyond 3 weeks
- Proper ticket visibility after purchase
RTA Le Pass
Reported bugs
4 issues- App won't accept phone number verification
- Purchased tickets disappear from app
- Live tracking not working as expected
- Incorrect route information displayed
Requested features
5 requests- Allow purchase of multiple tickets in one transaction
- Provide real-time bus/streetcar tracking
- Improve accuracy of schedule information
- Implement customer support/feedback options
- Integrate with other transportation options (e.g. Uber)
In-app purchases
Translink Planner
No in-app purchases
RTA Le Pass
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Translink Planner free?
Is RTA Le Pass free?
Which has better reviews, Translink Planner or RTA Le Pass?
Do Translink Planner or RTA Le Pass have ads?
Which is updated more often, Translink Planner or RTA Le Pass?
Other comparisons
