Comparison

Public Transport Simulator vs Bus Simulator Lite

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Public Transport Simulator

Experience realistic driving with multiple vehicle types and mission modes. Transport passengers as a bus or taxi driver, or compete in checkpoint races. Earn experience to unlock new vehicles, locations, upgrades, and paint jobs.

Highlights
  • Multiple vehicle types (bus, taxi, race car)
  • Passenger transport missions
  • Checkpoint racing
  • Unlockable vehicles and locations
  • Vehicle upgrades and paint jobs
  • Realistic physics and ragdoll effects
  • Interior and exterior views
Features
Read full description

Jump behind the steering wheel in this driving simulator. There are three different types of missions, depending on what type of vehicle you choose. Choose one of many buses to transport passengers around the city. Jump in as a taxi driver and give a lift to clients waving their hands around the city. Choosing a race car, opens up Checkpoint racing tracks in the city. For each customer serviced or race finished, you get experience points, which unlock additional vehicles and locations. For each vehicle there are unlockable upgrades and paint jobs. Upgrades and paint jobs are unlocked simply by earning experience with that vehicle. Drive carefully! When you crash, passengers fall and you lose experience. • Fully modeled 3D environments and vehicles. • Interior and exterior view with free look. • Realistic physics and ragdoll. • Accident replays with screenshot possibility. • Different control options. • Bus driving. • Taxi driving. • Van driving. • Bonus cars and races. • Leaderboards.

About

Bus Simulator Lite

Experience realistic bus driving in a detailed city. Transport passengers, unlock new buses and routes, and build your own transport company. The Lite version offers a taste of the full game with licensed buses and missions.

Highlights
  • Drive officially licensed buses
  • Transport passengers in a lively city
  • Unlock new buses, districts, and routes
  • Build a public transport network
  • Detailed city map inspired by Northern Europe
  • Manage your transport company
Features
Read full description

In the Bus Simulator City Ride Lite edition you can experience a first taste of the newest instalment of the Bus Simulator series. Within the Lite version you can get behind the wheel of two originally licensed buses by well-known manufacturers Setra and BYD. Enjoy the introduction to the game in four missions within the beautiful city of Havensburg. Do you like the game? Then you can easily purchase the full version through the in-App purchase to get access to all buses, missions and features! Take the driver’s seat as you transport passengers around a lively city in officially licensed buses from famous manufacturers: Alexander Dennis, Blue Bird, BYD, IVECO BUS, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Scania, Setra, Volvo, and Vicinity Motor Corp. Drive routes and complete campaign missions to unlock even more buses, districts, and routes. Climb the career ladder and build a public transport network for your city. YOUR BUS. YOUR CITY. IN YOUR HANDS. 10 ORIGINAL BUSES FROM WORLD FAMOUS MANUFACTURERS Original, licensed buses are waiting for you! Drive 10 buses from 10 world-renowned manufacturers – from electric buses to articulated or double decker buses. Featuring manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, IVECO BUS, and BYD, there is plenty of variety of buses. With detailed cockpits, you can take the driver’s seat and experience real bus driving immersion while driving YOUR BUS. TRANSPORT PEOPLE AROUND A LIVELY CITY Explore the game's very detailed and lively map! The city of Havensburg is inspired by cities in northern Europe and offers you a variety of eye-catching buildings and landscapes, including the harbor warehouse district, harbor, old town, and surrounding countryside. In such a vibrant city, people want to get around and drink coffee with friends in the old town district or visit the harbor with their family. Transporting passengers never gets boring – and perhaps they'll even share some stories with you. Now it’s your job to connect the people of YOUR CITY. MANAGE YOUR TRANSPORT COMPANY Prove your driving skills: Make it to the top and build a successful bus transport company. Progressing through the campaign unlocks even more buses, districts, and routes. Build out your transport network by driving routes to earn more Credits, purchasing more buses, and assigning more and more buses to your routes. The success of the company is IN YOUR HANDS!

Screenshots

Public Transport Simulator4 screens
Bus Simulator Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Public Transport Simulator at 4.6 against Bus Simulator Lite's 3.7. Public Transport Simulator also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 47%) and ratings volume (3.4K vs 86). Bus Simulator Lite's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Public Transport Simulator sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and Bus Simulator Lite sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Public Transport Simulator holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Public Transport Simulator has 3.4K ratings behind it against 86, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Public Transport Simulator's written reviews are positive against 47% of Bus Simulator Lite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Public Transport Simulator ships an update every 2 months, Bus Simulator Lite every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Public Transport Simulator versus Bus Simulator Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPublic Transport SimulatorBus Simulator Lite
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.4K ratings) — better3.7 (86 ratings)
Positive reviews85.9% of reviews — better46.6% of reviews
Number of ratings3.4K — better86
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.2
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB831 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperSkisoSoftastragon Entertainment GmbH

Customer experience

Public Transport Simulator

All ratings3,398 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral4.5%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews1,367 reviews
Positive85.9%
Neutral7.4%
Negative6.7%

Bus Simulator Lite

All ratings86 ratings
Positive65.1%
Neutral9.3%
Negative25.6%
Written reviews232 reviews
Positive46.6%
Neutral15.9%
Negative37.5%

User reviews

Public Transport Simulator

From 3.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Outstanding & Immersive Simulation
  • 🚌 Highly Detailed & Realistic Buses
  • 🎮 Smooth & Responsive Controls
  • 🌇 Expansive Open-World Map
  • 🔍 Polished First-Person Mode

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional Glitches & Bugs
  • 🚦 Traffic Light & AI Behavior Issues
  • 🔍 Limited Camera Options
  • 🚌 Lack of Passenger Interactions

Bus Simulator Lite

From 86 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Excellent graphics and visual quality
  • 🚌 Realistic licensed buses with detailed design
  • 🎮 Engaging gameplay mechanics and management features
  • 🗺️ Detailed city map with varied routes
  • 👥 Interactive NPC passengers with conversations

Room to improve

  • 💰 Aggressive paywall at level 7 limits free gameplay
  • 🎮 Poor steering controls and sensitivity issues
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and game instability
  • ⚙️ Unrealistic physics and acceleration/braking behavior
  • 🔋 High battery consumption on mobile devices

Bugs and requests

Public Transport Simulator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inconsistent Passenger Boarding/Exiting
  • Unreliable Crash/Collision Detection
  • Progress Loss After Extended Playtime
  • Steering Wheel Sensitivity Issues

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add Passenger Mode
  • Implement Tram & Train Vehicles
  • Expand Map Variety & Complexity
  • Improve Traffic AI & Behaviors
  • Introduce Customization Options
Show 3 more
  • Add Maintenance & Refueling Mechanics
  • Enhance Weather & Environmental Effects
  • Implement Multiplayer & Online Features

Bus Simulator Lite

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • Game crashes during loading screen
  • Crashes when creating player profile
  • Crashes after 10 minutes of gameplay
  • Game kicks player out randomly
  • Full version purchase doesn't unlock content
Show 10 more
  • Duplicate charges for in-app purchases
  • Progress resets on app restart
  • Glitches cause random pedestrian collision warnings
  • Steering becomes unresponsive during gameplay
  • Game stutters and pauses repeatedly
  • Indicator detection fails inconsistently
  • Cars floating in bus stops
  • Game incompatible with certain iPad models
  • Loading screen flickers rapidly
  • Brake system malfunctions

Requested features

16 requests
  • Make full version free or reduce paywall level
  • Add AI buses driving around the city
  • Improve steering wheel mechanics with full 360-degree rotation
  • Add more bus models and manufacturers
  • Implement free drive/open world mode
Show 11 more
  • Add weather effects (rain, night mode)
  • Include rearview mirror functionality
  • Add cruise control feature
  • Implement separate brake and accelerator pedals
  • Add more routes and maps
  • Include double-decker buses
  • Add driver exit/enter animation
  • Implement bus washing and refueling mechanics
  • Add more vehicle variety (trucks, cars, vans)
  • Improve tilt sensitivity controls
  • Add visible speed traps with warnings

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Public Transport Simulator

One-time8
  • 1 key$0.99
  • Double XP$1.99
  • All upgrades and paints$1.99
Show 5 more
  • All Levels$1.99
  • 5 keys$1.99
  • All Cars$2.99
  • 10 keys$2.99
  • 20 Keys$3.99
8 purchases

Bus Simulator Lite

One-time8
  • Some Credits$0.99
  • Small Package$1.99
  • Lots of Credits$2.99
Show 5 more
  • Upgrade to Full Version$3.99
  • Medium Package$5.99
  • Financial Freedom$7.99
  • Large Package$7.99
  • All-in-one Package$12.99

Questions

Is Public Transport Simulator free?
Public Transport Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bus Simulator Lite free?
Bus Simulator Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Public Transport Simulator or Bus Simulator Lite?
Public Transport Simulator is rated higher. Public Transport Simulator averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.4K ratings, while Bus Simulator Lite averages 3.7 from 86 ratings.
Do Public Transport Simulator or Bus Simulator Lite have ads?
Public Transport Simulator shows ads; Bus Simulator Lite does not.
Which is updated more often, Public Transport Simulator or Bus Simulator Lite?
Public Transport Simulator ships an update every 2 months, and Bus Simulator Lite every 3 months. Most recently, Public Transport Simulator was updated on October 29, 2026 and Bus Simulator Lite on October 27, 2026.

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