UK Bus Checker vs NCTX 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.
NCTX Buses
Plan your journeys, view live bus departures, and purchase mobile tickets for NCT services. Access timetables, save favorite routes, and stay updated on service disruptions.
- Mobile ticket purchase
- Live departure times
- Journey planning
- Bus timetables
- Save favorite routes
- Service disruption alerts
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The latest release of the app has everything you need to get around Nottingham with NCT Buses. It’s packed full of everything you’ll need to get mobile. 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 Apple Pay or a debit/credit card and show the driver 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: Plan your commute, trip to the shops or night out with friends. With an upgraded planning engine it’ll be even easier to plan your trip with NCT. Timetables: We’ve squeezed all of our routes and bus times into the palm of your hand. Favourites: We’ve simplified saving favourites based on your feedback, so now you can quickly save your favourite Departure Boards, 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 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: NCTX Buses at none against UK Bus Checker's 1. NCTX Buses also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (57% vs 35%). On price, ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement 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. NCTX Buses asks for nothing beyond the download.
NCTX Buses holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 94 and 64 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of UK Bus Checker's written reviews are positive against 57% of NCTX Buses's.
UK Bus Checker ships an update monthly, NCTX Buses fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | UK Bus Checker | NCTX Buses |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (94 ratings) | 4.9 (64 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.9% of reviews | 57.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 94 — better | 64 |
| 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 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 79 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | UrbanThings Limited | Nottingham City Transport Ltd |
Customer experience
UK Bus Checker
NCTX Buses
User reviews
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
NCTX Buses
From 64 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Real-time bus tracking
- 👍 Useful travel planning
- 👍 Convenient mobile tickets
- 👍 24-hour tickets save money
- 👍 Easy to use interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buses often late
- 🐛 App logs users out
- 🐛 Buses disappear from tracker
- 🐛 Mobile tickets fail to scan
- 🐛 App drains phone battery
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)
NCTX Buses
Reported bugs
50 issues- App keeps logging users out
- App locks users out for extended periods
- Buses not arriving on time
- Buses disappearing from the app's tracker
- Mobile tickets failing to scan
Show 45 moreShow fewer
- App drains phone battery
- App says no internet connection when mobile data is working
- Lost money on tickets due to app issues
- App is down or not working
- App crashes when trying to view routes list
- Bus scanners not scanning properly
- App is lagging
- Cannot press 'continue' button after agreeing to terms
- Journey planner lost after boarding bus
- Apple Watch app not working
- Live bus times disappeared after latest update
- App size not fitting iPhone 12 mini
- App not working on latest Mac OS
- App shows only map and timetables
- Ticket activation issues
- App doesn't work without internet
- App doesn't orient on map
- Student verification issues
- App shows wrong arrival times (bus passes early)
- Mobile tickets open Apple Wallet
- App doesn't work on latest Mac OS
- Crashes on routes list
- Cannot search tickets easily
- App is a copy of another app
- Cannot press 'continue' button
- App is a joke, no other options
- Bad planning, not tested
- No option to rearrange favourites
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- No option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
Requested features
34 requests- Ability to rearrange favourites
- Setting to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Integration with Apple Wallet/Google Pay for bus passes
- Option to display cancelled buses in real-time
- Separate timetables for different route variations (e.g., 79 and 79a)
Show 29 moreShow fewer
- Map orientation to phone's direction
- Travel tickets available offline
- Apple Watch app functionality
- Return of live bus times after update
- Optimization for smaller phone screens
- 24-hour contact number for support
- Robin Hood style ticket across operators
- Option to buy tickets for someone else
- Improved search functionality for tickets
- Ability to see if specific buses are running late or cancelled
- User testing for route planning and directions
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Option to display time of day and minutes until next bus
In-app purchases
UK Bus Checker
- Remove the Ads (discounted)$6.99
NCTX Buses
No in-app purchases
