NCTX Buses vs TravelMaster
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
TravelMaster
This app simplifies public transport by allowing users to buy tickets and manage smartcards for various regional providers. It syncs purchased tickets and displays existing ones with expiry dates, offering integrated travel solutions.
- Buy tickets for multiple providers
- Sync smartcards
- View ticket expiry dates
- Integrated travel solutions
- Regional transport provider support
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The App can be used to buy tickets and sync your TravelMaster, Zoom and Stagecoach smartcards all in one place. CityBus, CityWide, SYBus, SYConnect, SYConnect+, GetAbout, GetAbout+ and Wayfarer tickets are all available to buy via the App. Syncing your smartcard will add any tickets bought on the App or our website. It will also show what tickets along with their expiry dates already loaded to your card. At TravelMaster, we aim to provide South Yorkshire and Derbyshire with great value and simplified ways to use public transport. We work with all of the region’s transport providers to bring you some of the UK's lowest-priced, and most advanced, integrated travel tickets. This App is the next step in transforming travel in the region.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: NCTX Buses at 57% against TravelMaster's 0%. NCTX Buses also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (64 vs 3). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NCTX Buses holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NCTX Buses has 64 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of NCTX Buses's written reviews are positive against 0% of TravelMaster's.
NCTX Buses ships an update fortnightly, TravelMaster every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NCTX Buses | TravelMaster |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (64 ratings) — better | 4.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 57.4% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 64 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nottingham City Transport Ltd | TravelMaster |
Customer experience
NCTX Buses
TravelMaster
Bugs and requests
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
TravelMaster
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NCTX Buses
No in-app purchases
TravelMaster
No in-app purchases
