Cardiff Bus vs UK Bus Checker
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.
UK Bus Checker
Plan bus and public transport journeys across Great Britain. Get real-time arrival information, see how busy services are, and purchase mobile tickets. Supports buses, trains, trams, and more.
- Journey planning
- Real-time bus information
- Mobile ticket purchasing
- Live bus times
- Service occupancy indicators
- Multi-modal transport support
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The all-new Bus Checker allows you to plan journeys, see real-time bus information and buy mobile tickets all in one place, for buses right across Great Britain. Search for map locations and bus stops, plan your journey and see when the buses are coming, how busy they are - and where they’re going! It’s not just limited to buses either; with support for bus, train, tram, underground, ferry and more, UK Bus Checker can get you from A to B with ease. Experience the UK’s most popular independent bus times app today, and never be left waiting at a bus stop again. PS: Are your local bus operator’s tickets missing? You can send them an invite with just one tap.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cardiff Bus at none against UK Bus Checker's 1. Cardiff Bus also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. UK Bus Checker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Cardiff Bus asks for nothing beyond the download.
Cardiff Bus holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 65 and 94 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Cardiff Bus's written reviews are positive against 35% of UK Bus Checker's.
Cardiff Bus ships an update fortnightly, UK Bus Checker monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cardiff Bus | UK Bus Checker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (65 ratings) — better | 4.6 (94 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews — better | 34.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 65 | 94 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cardiff City Transport Services Ltd | UrbanThings Limited |
Customer experience
Cardiff Bus
UK Bus Checker
User reviews
Cardiff Bus
From 65 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
UK Bus Checker
From 94 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗺️ Real-time bus tracking and location visibility
- 🌍 Comprehensive UK-wide bus coverage
- 👴 Easy to use interface for all ages
- 💾 Ability to save favorite bus stops
- 📍 Accurate bus arrival times (when working)
Room to improve
- 📺 Intrusive full-screen unskippable ads
- ⏱️ Ads too long (30-60 seconds)
- 💰 Expensive ad-free subscription (£6.99)
- 🔴 Inaccurate real-time bus information
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
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
UK Bus Checker
Reported bugs
18 issues- App fails to load nearby bus stops
- Buses disappear from app 2 minutes before arrival
- Incorrect bus timing predictions (off by 5-10 minutes)
- App doesn't recognize saved bus stops
- Location placed incorrectly on map
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Bus tracking not working on map
- Unable to uninstall app
- Ad locks up app functionality
- App crashes on opening
- Timetable not updating for holidays
- Live times showing as timetable only
- Bus routes missing from certain areas
- Map too small after selecting stop
- Unable to click on specific buses to track
- Black text on red background accessibility issue
- Sign-up requirement blocking app access
- Old timetable data not being deleted
- App not locating user on restart
Requested features
17 requests- Shorter or less frequent ads
- Ad-free subscription option
- Widget support for quick access
- Apple Watch app
- Cloud synchronization for saved stops
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Real-time GPS tracking for all bus operators
- Countdown timer for bus arrivals
- Interactive route maps with stop names
- Better accessibility for screen readers
- Color-coded bus stops on map
- Full-screen map option
- Bus journey only filter option
- Direct click-to-travel functionality
- Better handling of timetable updates and cancellations
- Improved location accuracy
- Notification widget for lock screen
- Support for multiple transport modes (trams, trains)
In-app purchases
Cardiff Bus
No in-app purchases
UK Bus Checker
- Remove the Ads (discounted)$6.99
Questions
Is Cardiff Bus free?
Is UK Bus Checker free?
Which has better reviews, Cardiff Bus or UK Bus Checker?
Do Cardiff Bus or UK Bus Checker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cardiff Bus or UK Bus Checker?
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