UK Bus Checker vs Reading Buses
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Reading Buses
Plan your bus journeys, purchase mobile tickets, and track live departures. This app provides real-time bus information, fare discovery, and contactless journey history. Save your favorite routes and stay updated on service disruptions.
- Mobile ticket purchase
- Live departure tracking
- Journey planning
- Fare discovery
- Timetable access
- Contactless journey history
- Service update notifications
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Our new app has everything you need to travel with Reading Buses. NEW! Discover your fare: Find the fare for the journeys you are planning whether you want to buy a mobile ticket in advance or pay on the bus. Mobile Tickets: Purchase mobile tickets securely with a debit/credit card and scan when boarding - no more searching for cash! 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: It’s now even easier to plan ahead with Reading Buses. Timetables: We’ve squeezed the whole timetable 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 Departure Boards, Timetables and Journeys, with quick access from one convenient menu. Service Updates: You’ll be able to keep up to date with disruption information from our Twitter feed inside the app. As always, we welcome your feedback. You can send it to us via the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Reading Buses at none against UK Bus Checker's 1. Reading Buses also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (61% vs 35%). 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. Reading Buses asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for UK Bus Checker against 4.8 for Reading Buses. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 94 and 83 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 35% of UK Bus Checker's written reviews are positive against 61% of Reading Buses's.
UK Bus Checker ships an update monthly, Reading Buses fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.
| Parameter | UK Bus Checker | Reading Buses |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (94 ratings) | 4.8 (83 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.9% of reviews | 61.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 94 — better | 83 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| 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 | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 79 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | UrbanThings Limited | Reading Buses |
Customer experience
UK Bus Checker
Reading Buses
Bugs and requests
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)
Reading Buses
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
UK Bus Checker
- Remove the Ads (discounted)$6.99
Reading Buses
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is UK Bus Checker free?
Is Reading Buses free?
Which has better reviews, UK Bus Checker or Reading Buses?
Do UK Bus Checker or Reading Buses have ads?
Which is updated more often, UK Bus Checker or Reading Buses?
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