My Bus Helper vs MCTS Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
My Bus Helper
Track buses in Champaign-Urbana with real-time location and departure information. Find nearby stops and save your favorites for quick access. Enjoy a fast and reliable transit experience.
- Live bus locations
- Nearest stop finder
- Real-time departure times
- Favorite stop saving
- Automatic data updates
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The best app for taking the bus around Champaign-Urbana! My Bus Helper: MTD is a fast and easy to use app that lets you check live departure times and see where your bus is. • Track your bus See live bus locations as buses approach your stop. • Find nearby stops Use your device’s location to find the stops closest to you. • Check live departures See upcoming bus departure times that update automatically as you wait. • Save your favorites Keep your go-to stops handy for quick access. Bus route and stop information is provided by CUMTD. My Bus Helper: MTD is an independent app and is not affiliated with CUMTD. Premium Ad-Free Subscription Details: Enjoy future premium features and no in-app advertisements • The My Bus Helper: MTD Premium Ad-Free subscription is available as a monthly subscription • Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period • Subscriptions may be managed by you and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable For the full Terms and Conditions of this service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ and https://sites.google.com/site/wegworksapps/home/apps/mybushelpermtdprivacypolicy
MCTS Tracker
Track bus arrival times in real-time. Enter your stop number, scan a QR code, or search to see when your bus is approaching. The app uses live data to provide accurate estimates, helping you avoid missed rides.
- Real-time bus arrival times
- Search by stop number
- QR code scanning for stops
- Live data integration
- Color-coded bus indicators
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Find yourself glancing down the street, wondering where the bus is? Wonder no more, with the MCTS Tracker app. Enter the stop number for the stop you're waiting at, scan the stop's QR code, or search to find out when the bus is getting there. Now with more colours to make it even easier to tell whether the bus you care about is almost there. The system uses live data from the MCTS to determine arrival times, so you'll be less likely to miss a bus again. By using the app, you agree to the MCTS terms of service (http://www.ridemcts.com/Privacy-Statement/); also, the makers of this app are not affiliated with the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MCTS Tracker at none against My Bus Helper's 2. MCTS Tracker also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (52% vs 39%). On price, rating, update cadence 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. My Bus Helper sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. MCTS Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for My Bus Helper against 4.7 for MCTS Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 4.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 39% of My Bus Helper's written reviews are positive against 52% of MCTS Tracker's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.
| Parameter | My Bus Helper | MCTS Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.1K ratings) | 4.7 (4.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.1% of reviews | 51.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K | 4.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | James Wegner | Evan Ricketts |
Customer experience
My Bus Helper
MCTS Tracker
User reviews
My Bus Helper
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate bus schedules
- 👍 Reliable service
- 💡 Helpful navigation features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Unreliable real-time bus tracking
- 🔧 Navigation feature issues
- ⏱️ Needs screen refresh option
MCTS Tracker
From 4.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Accurate bus arrival times
- 🚀 Real-time tracking
- 😊 Helpful and convenient
- 🕰️ Mostly on-time
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent and inaccurate information
- 🚌 Certain routes not included
- ⚠️ Unreliable and frustrating
- 🔍 Difficulty finding routes
Bugs and requests
My Bus Helper
Reported bugs
2 issues- Navigation tab not working
- Bus route information missing
Requested features
3 requests- Route planning to specific locations
- Improved cardinal direction guidance
- Automatic refresh of nearest stops
MCTS Tracker
Reported bugs
4 issues- Route search not working
- Buses disappearing from map
- Connection issues
- Incorrect route numbers
Requested features
4 requests- Update routes and schedules
- Offline mode
- Apple Watch support
- Directions and route planning
In-app purchases
My Bus Helper
- Premium Ad-Free$1.991 Month
- Remove Advertisements$1.99
MCTS Tracker
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is My Bus Helper free?
Is MCTS Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, My Bus Helper or MCTS Tracker?
Do My Bus Helper or MCTS Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, My Bus Helper or MCTS Tracker?
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