Downtowner vs BearPool
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Downtowner
Request eco-friendly rides on-demand to get around town. See wait times, track your driver's arrival, and travel within designated service areas for work or leisure.
- On-demand ride requests
- View wait times
- Track driver progress
- Service area travel
- Eco-friendly transportation
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Downtowner is an eco-friendly on-demand ride service changing the way you get around town. It's easy! - Tell us where you're headed to view the wait time. Then, just tap to request! - Track your driver's progress. We'll let you know when they get close! - Ride anywhere within our service area. Work or play, we've got you covered! Download the app and ride with us!
BearPool
This rideshare app connects UC Berkeley students to share rides and save money. It allows users to post or join ride groups, coordinate plans via chat, and offers gender preference filtering for added comfort. Designed for students, it simplifies carpooling for campus commutes and travel.
- Share rides to save money
- Exclusive to UC Berkeley students
- Post or join ride groups
- Gender preference filtering
- In-app group chat for coordination
- Simple and affordable carpooling
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BearPool is Cal's biggest rideshare board, built exclusively for UC Berkeley students. Split costs. Meet riders you can trust. Get where you're going. Why BearPool? Berkeley students only. .edu email required. Post or join rides in seconds. Built-in group chat to coordinate plans. Gender preference filtering for your comfort. Save money on every trip. Heading to the airport, campus, or out of town? Find a ride with someone already going your way.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Downtowner at 414 against BearPool's 12. BearPool's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 Downtowner against 4.7 for BearPool. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Downtowner has 414 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Downtowner's written reviews are positive against 83% of BearPool's.
Downtowner ships an update every 4 months, BearPool every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Downtowner | BearPool |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (414 ratings) — better | 4.7 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 89.7% of reviews — better | 83.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 414 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 134 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Via Transportation, Inc. | Maaz Dhalech |
Customer experience
Downtowner
BearPool
Bugs and requests
Downtowner
Reported bugs
5 issues- Wait time estimates jump dramatically and change frequently
- Unable to verify ride request status after placement
- Account termination feature not functioning properly
- App login issues with password verification
- Drivers passing by and not stopping for waiting passengers
Requested features
7 requests- Extended service hours, including morning availability
- Expand service to additional locations (e.g., Aspen Meadows)
- Save multiple addresses in app
- Credit card tipping option
- Direct phone number for customer support
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- Better account management and deletion options
- Improved driver accountability system
BearPool
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Downtowner
No in-app purchases
BearPool
No in-app purchases
