# Cardiff Bus vs Reading Buses

Cardiff Bus and Reading Buses both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 61% of Reading Buses's written reviews are positive against 45% of Cardiff Bus's. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Cardiff Bus against 4.8 for Reading Buses. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 67 and 83 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of Cardiff Bus's written reviews are positive against 61% of Reading Buses's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cardiff Bus | Reading Buses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardiff-bus/id670910962/reviews) | [4.8 (83 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-buses/id1384118827/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 67 | **83** |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews | **61.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 41 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cardiff City Transport Services Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1324513294) | [Reading Buses](https://appshunter.io/developer/1384118826) |

## 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


### Reading Buses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-buses/id1384118827)

Plan your bus journeys, purchase mobile tickets, and track live departures. This app provides real-time bus information, fare discovery, and contactless journey history. Save your favorite routes and stay updated on service disruptions.

**Highlights:** Mobile ticket purchase, Live departure tracking, Journey planning, Fare discovery, Timetable access, Contactless journey history, Service update notifications

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cardiff Bus free?

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

### Is Reading Buses free?

Reading Buses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Cardiff Bus or Reading Buses?

Cardiff Bus and Reading Buses are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 67 and 83 ratings respectively.

### Do Cardiff Bus or Reading Buses have ads?

Neither Cardiff Bus nor Reading Buses shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cardiff Bus or Reading Buses?

Cardiff Bus ships an update fortnightly, and Reading Buses fortnightly. Most recently, Cardiff Bus was updated on September 10, 2026 and Reading Buses on September 21, 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.*