Cardiff Bus vs Zeelo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cardiff Bus
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.
- Live departures
- Journey planning
- Timetables
- Contactless journey tracking
- Favorite stops and routes
- Disruption alerts
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Our app has everything you need to get around Cardiff. It’s packed full of everything you’ll need to get mobile on the bus. 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: Plan your commute, trip to the shops or night out with friends. It’s now even easier to plan ahead with Cardiff Buses. Timetables: We’ve squeezed all of our routes and timetables into the palm of your hand. Contactless Journeys: View the journeys you have made using your contactless cards and a breakdown of charges and savings. Favourites: You can quickly save your favourite stops, Timetables and Journeys, with quick access from one convenient menu. Disruptions: You’ll be able to keep up to date with service changes directly from our disruption feeds inside the app. As always, we welcome your feedback. You can send it to us via the app.
Zeelo
This platform helps organizations provide smart bus transportation for employees and students. Riders can easily purchase passes, manage their trips, and track their bus in real-time. Get instant updates on delays and board with a digital ticket.
- Purchase and manage travel passes
- Edit booked trips
- 24/7 in-app support
- Real-time vehicle tracking
- Delay notifications
- Digital ticket for boarding
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Zeelo is a smart bus platform for organisations, taking thousands of people to work or school everyday. Use our app to purchase rides, manage travel passes and track your driver on the day of your journey. FOR THE RIDERS – Book and manage your travel passes – Edit your booked trips – Speak to our 24/7 support team on the app – Track your vehicle – Receive notifications of any delays – Show your ticket for boarding on the app
Screenshots
Verdict
Cardiff Bus and Zeelo both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 45% of Cardiff Bus's written reviews are positive against 29% of Zeelo's. Cardiff Bus also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). Zeelo's advantage is ratings volume (756 vs 67). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Cardiff Bus against 4.7 for Zeelo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Zeelo has 756 ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of Cardiff Bus's written reviews are positive against 29% of Zeelo's.
Cardiff Bus ships an update fortnightly, Zeelo every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on September 10, 2026.
| Parameter | Cardiff Bus | Zeelo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (67 ratings) — better | 4.7 (756 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews — better | 28.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 67 | 756 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 110 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cardiff City Transport Services Ltd | Zeelo LTD |
Customer experience
Cardiff Bus
Zeelo
User reviews
Cardiff Bus
From 67 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use and understand
- 📍 Real-time bus tracking
- ✅ Accurate arrival/departure times
- ❤️ Useful for planning trips
- 💯 Great for disabled travelers
Room to improve
- ❌ Unreliable service
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- ⏳ Inaccurate bus times
- 🚫 Buses not showing up
- 💸 Overcharging/double charging
Zeelo
From 756 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient transportation
- 💡 Recurring booking option
- 👍 Simple to use app
- 🚌 Smooth ride experience
- 💰 Cost savings
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app
- 🕰️ Inaccurate timetables and delays
- 🤖 Poor customer support and AI chatbot
- 🚌 Poorly maintained buses
- 🤬 Rude and unprofessional drivers
Bugs and requests
Cardiff Bus
Reported bugs
11 issues- 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
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- App not synchronised with bus stop information
- App freezes when opening favourites
- Reset password email not sent
- Crashing when opening mobile tickets
- Journey planner is garbage, cannot input address
- Hamburger menu embedded in search box
Requested features
6 requests- 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
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Show buses moving on map
Zeelo
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes and freezes
- Incorrect journey details and booking information
- Inability to log in or access account
- Inconsistent app behavior and functionality
Requested features
5 requests- Improved booking flexibility
- Real-time bus tracking
- Seamless integration with mobile wallets
- Reliable notifications and alerts
- Better multi-user support
In-app purchases
Cardiff Bus
No in-app purchases
Zeelo
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cardiff Bus free?
Is Zeelo free?
Which has better reviews, Cardiff Bus or Zeelo?
Do Cardiff Bus or Zeelo have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cardiff Bus or Zeelo?
Other comparisons
