# Cardiff Bus vs Stagecoach Bus

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cardiff Bus at 45% against Stagecoach Bus's 10%. Cardiff Bus also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Stagecoach Bus's advantage is ratings volume (814 vs 65). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Cardiff Bus holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stagecoach Bus has 814 ratings behind it against 65, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Cardiff Bus's written reviews are positive against 10% of Stagecoach Bus's.

Cardiff Bus ships an update fortnightly, Stagecoach Bus monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cardiff Bus | Stagecoach Bus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (65 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardiff-bus/id670910962/reviews)** | [4.6 (814 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stagecoach-bus/id1151110474/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 65 | **814** |
| Positive reviews | **45.0% of reviews** | 10.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 41 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cardiff City Transport Services Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1324513294) | [Stagecoach Group plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/536149143) |

## What reviewers say

### Cardiff Bus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardiff-bus/id670910962)

Plan your travel around Cardiff with real-time bus information. View live departures, plan journeys, and access timetables. Track contactless payments and save your favorite routes for easy access.

**Highlights:** Live departures, Journey planning, Timetables, Contactless journey tracking, Favorite stops and routes, Disruption alerts

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and understand
- 📍 Real-time bus tracking
- ✅ Accurate arrival/departure times
- ❤️ Useful for planning trips
- 💯 Great for disabled travelers

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ Unreliable service
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- ⏳ Inaccurate bus times
- 🚫 Buses not showing up
- 💸 Overcharging/double charging

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on iOS 16.2 when zooming
- App freezes or shuts down automatically
- App not working, unable to buy tickets
- Error 504, monthly ticket not showing
- Bus tracking not working

**Requested features**

- Offline version of the app
- Show timetable for tomorrow morning
- Ability to refund or gift unused tickets
- Use phone's GPS for nearest stops
- Input destination address for journey planner


### Stagecoach Bus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stagecoach-bus/id1151110474)

Plan your bus journeys, track buses in real-time, and purchase mobile tickets securely. Features an interactive map to view services and stops, with options to save favorite routes.

**Highlights:** Interactive route map, Real-time bus tracking, Find nearest stops, Save favorite journeys, Secure mobile ticket purchase, Instant ticket delivery

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient ticket purchase
- 👍 Good for frequent travelers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Apple Pay not working
- 🐛 Unreliable bus tracking
- 🐛 Inaccurate timetables
- 🐛 Glitchy app performance
- 🐛 Difficult to navigate

**Reported bugs**

- Routes disappearing from app
- Ticket purchases failing
- Inability to purchase youth/student tickets

**Requested features**

- More regional voice announcers
- Improved bus cancellation notifications
- Better integration with mobile payment options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cardiff Bus free?

Cardiff Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Stagecoach Bus free?

Stagecoach Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Cardiff Bus or Stagecoach Bus?

Cardiff Bus is rated higher. Cardiff Bus averages 4.8 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Stagecoach Bus averages 4.6 from 814 ratings.

### Do Cardiff Bus or Stagecoach Bus have ads?

Neither Cardiff Bus nor Stagecoach Bus shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cardiff Bus or Stagecoach Bus?

Cardiff Bus ships an update fortnightly, and Stagecoach Bus monthly. Most recently, Cardiff Bus was updated on November 1, 2026 and Stagecoach Bus on November 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*