Comparison

Live BART vs Busly

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

Head to head
About

Live BART

This app provides real-time BART train departure information, including estimated arrival times, destinations, and platform details. It can locate your nearest station or allow you to select any other BART station to view upcoming departures and train car counts. It also features a trip planner with a "get a seat" mode and an alerts screen for delays.

Highlights
  • Real-time BART departures
  • Nearest station locator
  • Train destination and route color
  • Estimated time until departure
  • Number of cars and platform
  • Trip planner with 'get a seat' mode
  • BART delay and emergency alerts
Features
Read full description

Have you ever tried to catch a train at a BART station, but didn't exactly know when the train was coming? How about guessing how long the train is, only to find out the train was shorter than you thought? If so, then Live BART is for you! Live BART will instantly locate the nearest BART station, and display all the upcoming real-time estimated departures for that station. Additionally, you can also choose to select any other BART station, and get its estimated departures. KEY FEATURES: - Locates your nearest BART station instantly. - Displays real-time estimated departures loaded directly from BART servers. - Shows useful information for upcoming trains: - Destination - Estimated time until departure - Route color - Number of cars - Train Platform - Allows you to select a station by distance or by name - Trip Planner with unique “Get a seat” mode, based on train congestion - Feedback tab to send messages directly to the development team - Alerts screen to view BART delays and emergencies SERVICE REQUIREMENTS: - Location Services - A working internet connection DISCLAIMERS and DATA DISTRIBUTION LIABILITY STATEMENT Jonajo Consulting LLC, the owner and producer of Live BART, shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time. The data are not better than the original sources from which they were derived (http://api.bart.gov/docs/etd/etd.aspx). It is the responsibility of the data user to use the data appropriately and consistent within the limitations of real-time estimated departure data in general and these data in particular. Jonajo Consulting LLC gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. By using the Live BART application, you agree to these terms and conditions.

About

Busly

This app provides real-time transit information for buses and trains in major U.S. cities. View live vehicle locations, arrival times, and detailed route information on an interactive map. Save favorite routes and stops for quick access.

Highlights
  • Live map with vehicle locations
  • Real-time arrival times
  • Detailed vehicle information
  • Favorite routes and stops
  • Nearby stops
  • Fare information
  • Light and dark themes
Read full description

Now with support for iOS 27 & iPhone Duo! Busly lets you view live locations & arrival times for buses & trains across major U.S. cities. LIVE MAP • Get real-time bus & train position updates on a live updating map (which can also show route lines & stops!) ARRIVAL TIMES • View up-to-date arrival times for both stops & vehicles DETAILED BUS/TRAIN INFO • Get detailed vehicle information including: heading, speed, occupancy, wheelchair accessibility, bikes allowed FAVORITES • Add route lines & stops to your Favorites for quick access NEARBY STOPS • View stops nearby to your current location SEARCH • Optimized for near-instant search results to help you quickly find what you're looking for FARE INFORMATION • View detailed fare/ticketing options for the agencies in your region LIGHT & DARK THEMES • Choose between fully supported light & dark themes or automatically switch using the system setting ACCESSIBILITY • First-class accessibility support, including VoiceOver & Dynamic Type SUPPORTED REGIONS • Atlanta (MARTA) • Austin (CapMetro) • Boston (MBTA) • Chicago (Metra) • Cincinnati (Go Metro) • Cleveland (GCRTA) • Denver (RTD) • Edmonton (ETS) • Hartford (CTTransit) • Las Vegas (RTC) • Los Angeles (LA Metro) • Minneapolis (Metro Transit) • Nashville (WeGo) • Phoenix (Valley Metro) • Raleigh (GoRaleigh) • Sacramento (SacRT) • San Francisco (SF Muni, BART, Caltrain) • Seattle (King County Metro) • Washington, D.C. (WMATA) ...And many more coming soon! NO ADS, NO TRACKERS • Busly is 100% free of ads & trackers and always will be — For questions/comments/support, email support@busly.app or navigate in-app to Settings > Support > Contact App Support.

Screenshots

Live BART4 screens
Busly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Live BART at none against Busly's 2. Live BART also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 553). Busly's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Busly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Live BART asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Live BART against 4.5 for Busly. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.1K and 553 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 49% of Live BART's written reviews are positive against 43% of Busly's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Live BART ships an update every 6 weeks, Busly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Live BART versus Busly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLive BARTBusly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (2.1K ratings) — better4.5 (553 ratings)
Positive reviews48.8% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings2.1K — better553
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonajo Consulting LLCAlex Perez

Customer experience

Live BART

All ratings2,059 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral3.3%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive48.8%
Neutral2.4%
Negative48.8%

Busly

All ratings553 ratings
Positive87.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative54.3%

User reviews

Live BART

From 2.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate real-time departure information
  • 👍 Convenient and easy-to-use interface
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive app
  • 👍 Helpful for daily commuters

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate or outdated departure times
  • 🐛 Watch app issues (slow, unreliable, limited functionality)
  • 🐛 Location tracking problems (showing wrong station locations)
  • 🐛 Lack of support for newer BART stations

Busly

From 553 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Accurate GPS
  • 👍 Real-time arrival accuracy
  • 👍 Efficient and simple GUI
  • 👍 Valuable for MUNI supervisors
  • 👍 Good for Atlanta transit

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate arrival times
  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Routes not showing up
  • 🐛 App cuts off unexpectedly
  • 🐛 App is unstable

Bugs and requests

Live BART

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Departure times not updating correctly
  • App crashing or freezing
  • Incorrect station listings and locations

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for Antioch and Pittsburg/Bay Point eBART stations
  • Implement widgets for quick departure time access
  • Allow customization of favorite stations or commute routes
  • Improve Apple Watch app performance and features

Busly

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes
  • Routes do not show up
  • App cuts off
  • App is unstable
  • Long calibration times
Show 4 more
  • Buses appear ahead of reported location
  • Missing key spots on routes
  • Stops are out of order
  • Atlanta map missing stations

Requested features

9 requests
  • Show bus numbers
  • Show run numbers
  • Color-code different bus lines on map
  • Display bus number instead of line name when clicking a stop
  • Improve refresh rate (currently 5 minutes)
Show 4 more
  • Add tutorial or explanation of symbols
  • Allow selection of favorite stops
  • Add vehicle ID and Block ID
  • Revert to previous app's functionality for route lists and stop order

In-app purchases

None

Live BART

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Busly

Subscriptions2
  • Busly Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Busly Pro Annual$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Live BART free?
Live BART is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Busly free?
Busly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Live BART or Busly?
Live BART is rated higher. Live BART averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Busly averages 4.5 from 553 ratings.
Do Live BART or Busly have ads?
Neither Live BART nor Busly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Live BART or Busly?
Live BART ships an update every 6 weeks, and Busly fortnightly. Most recently, Live BART was updated on October 14, 2026 and Busly on October 18, 2026.

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