OneBusAway review

OneBusAway answers one question very well: when is my bus coming. Its App Store listing says it shows real-time arrivals at every stop in your region on iPhone, iPad, the Lock Screen and Apple Watch, and that it is free, has no ads and needs no account. You can bookmark the routes you ride, ask Siri for your next bus, set a reminder to leave, and follow your ride through Live Activities. It alerts you as your stop approaches, shows agency service alerts, and lets you report a ghost bus that never arrives. It also plans trips across agencies and shows nearby bikes and scooters where supported. The limit is coverage: the listing names Davis, New York, San Diego, Seattle and Puget Sound, Tampa, Washington D.C. and Adelaide. It is published by the Open Transit Software Foundation, a nonprofit, and holds a 4.8 rating from 2,200 ratings. We compared documented features only.

Who it is for

Riders in Seattle, New York, San Diego, Tampa, Washington D.C., Davis or Adelaide who want a clean, free arrivals app.

Price

Free with no ads and no account needed.

Free, with no ads.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• Real-time arrivals at every stop in supported regions
• Live Activities on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island
• Alert as you approach your stop
• Agency service alerts on stop and trip pages
• Ghost bus reporting when a shown vehicle never arrives

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free, no ads and no account
• Strength: Built by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with partner agencies
• Strength: Strong accessibility support, including VoiceOver
• Weakness: Works in only 7 listed regions
• Weakness: Fewer trip planning extras than Transit or Citymapper
• Weakness: Smallest user base of the main apps here

Key facts

• App Store rating: 4.8 from 2.2K ratings
• Price: Free, no ads
• Publisher: Open Transit Software Foundation
• App size: 51.2 MB
• Open source since: 2008

Where it ranks

OneBusAway is No. 6 in our Best Map Apps for Bus Routes verdict.