# Here Comes the Bus vs CTLS Parent

The clearest difference is rating: Here Comes the Bus at 4.5 against CTLS Parent's 3.9. Here Comes the Bus also leads on ratings volume (74K vs 1.3K) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). CTLS Parent's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Here Comes the Bus holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Here Comes the Bus has 74K ratings behind it against 1.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Here Comes the Bus's written reviews are positive against 24% of CTLS Parent's.

Here Comes the Bus ships an update every 2 months, CTLS Parent weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Here Comes the Bus | CTLS Parent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (74K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/here-comes-the-bus/id981902595/reviews)** | [3.9 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ctls-parent/id1382963777/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **74K** | 1.3K |
| Positive reviews | **31.2% of reviews** | 23.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 40 MB | 155 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Synovia Solutions LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/981902594) | [ParentSquare](https://appshunter.io/developer/908126682) |

## What reviewers say

### Here Comes the Bus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/here-comes-the-bus/id981902595)

Track your child's school bus in real-time and receive notifications about its location and their boarding/deboarding. This app ensures your child arrives at the bus stop on time and provides peace of mind regarding their safety and transportation.

**Highlights:** Real-time bus location tracking, Customizable map view, Push notification alerts, Student ridership tracking, Arrival and departure information, Multi-child tracking, Multilingual support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helpful for tracking bus location
- 👍 Provides peace of mind for parents
- 💡 Useful concept for school transportation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable and buggy
- 🚫 Inaccurate bus location data
- ⚠️ Unresponsive customer support
- 🕰️ Delayed or missing notifications

**Reported bugs**

- Bus location stuck or showing incorrect position
- App crashing or not loading bus data
- Student bus assignments not properly reflected

**Requested features**

- Improve notification accuracy and timeliness
- Allow customization of notification settings per child
- Integrate with school transportation systems for better data sync


### CTLS Parent

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ctls-parent/id1382963777)

This app connects school districts, teachers, and families in one central location. It facilitates communication through messages, alerts, and updates, ensuring families stay informed about school events and student progress. Features include direct messaging, group conversations, and event sign-ups.

**Highlights:** School news and classroom updates, Direct messaging with teachers, Automated message translation, Important alerts and notices, Event and volunteer sign-ups, Absence and tardy reporting

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good communications
- 🚀 Excellent resource
- 🚀 Consolidation is good

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Awful & Useless
- 🐛 Frustrated parent
- 🐛 It is difficult hard to understand
- 🐛 The app is not ready
- 🐛 Email system is garbage

**Reported bugs**

- Bug in calendar
- Continuously showing the same July 23 message
- Stuck on the same message from JULY

**Requested features**

- Make one for students


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Here Comes the Bus free?

Here Comes the Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is CTLS Parent free?

CTLS Parent is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Here Comes the Bus or CTLS Parent?

Here Comes the Bus is rated higher. Here Comes the Bus averages 4.5 out of 5 from 74K ratings, while CTLS Parent averages 3.9 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Here Comes the Bus or CTLS Parent have ads?

Neither Here Comes the Bus nor CTLS Parent shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Here Comes the Bus or CTLS Parent?

Here Comes the Bus ships an update every 2 months, and CTLS Parent weekly. Most recently, Here Comes the Bus was updated on November 1, 2026 and CTLS Parent on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*