# Cardiff Bus vs bluestarbuses

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Cardiff Bus at 65 against bluestarbuses's 17. On price, rating, review sentiment 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 bluestarbuses. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 65 and 17 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of Cardiff Bus's written reviews are positive against 44% of bluestarbuses's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cardiff Bus | bluestarbuses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (65 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardiff-bus/id670910962/reviews)** | [4.8 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluestarbuses/id1557708948/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **65** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | **45.0% of reviews** | 44.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 41 MB | 43 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) | [The Go-Ahead Group plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566501475) |

## 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


### bluestarbuses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluestarbuses/id1557708948)

Plan your bus journeys and purchase tickets on your mobile device. View live departures, access timetables, and receive disruption updates for travel in Southampton, Eastleigh, Totton, and Romsey.

**Highlights:** Mobile ticket purchase, Live departure tracking, Journey planning, Route timetables, Favorite stops and routes, Service disruption alerts

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Live bus tracking useful
- 👍 Handy app
- 👍 Helpful for planning journeys
- 👍 Great maps

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Buses disappear from map
- 👎 Inaccurate times and stops
- 👎 Overcharged and rude driver
- 👎 Missing features for driver accountability
- 👎 Unreliable service, buses missing

**Reported bugs**

- Buses disappear from live map
- App freezes randomly
- App glitches, cannot see bus
- Bus arrival list broken, times don't update
- App doesn't load bus times

**Requested features**

- Allow submission of evidence for drivers embarking early
- Bring back The Key card system
- Allow planning journeys for days other than today
- Provide single journey cost information
- Watch companion app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cardiff Bus free?

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

### Is bluestarbuses free?

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

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

Cardiff Bus is rated higher. Cardiff Bus averages 4.8 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while bluestarbuses averages 4.8 from 17 ratings.

### Do Cardiff Bus or bluestarbuses have ads?

Neither Cardiff Bus nor bluestarbuses shows ads.

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

Cardiff Bus ships an update fortnightly, and bluestarbuses fortnightly. Most recently, Cardiff Bus was updated on October 23, 2026 and bluestarbuses on October 27, 2026.

---

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