Moovit: All Transit Options Reviews

by Admato

this app worked fine for what it was before they decided to integrate pop-ups. Now I do understand the need to monetize your app and pay developers, and I have nothing against ads at all (Google and Waze have ads all over their maps). But these pop ups are obnoxious, intrusive and take up valuable time when you are quickly trying to check a route or bus. And it’s not just one per trip, it’s like every third thing you click triggers an ad. It’s a huge inconvenience when when you’re pressed for time. It’s gotten to the point where I’m using Google more than this app, even though this app’s times are better. At least Google doesn’t shove video ads in my face when I’m running late to the bus.

this app, fix your profit model. Pop-up ads are not the solution. At the bare minimum, tweak the ads so they don’t interrupt user experience.

by J Tarn

I have been using Moovit for about two years and it has been working great (especially during the time when there were no ads). The update a few months ago added pop-up ads which was quite annoying at times but is tolerable. The latest update with video ads, however, was so inconvenient for users since you have to wait for a few seconds before closing the ads. This is not some game apps where people are willing to sit through the whole ads just to get some bonus. To developers, please remember that people only click on Moovit to get to somewhere they want to be. We only use this for a few minutes per day and would not worth our time looking at all the video ads in Moovit when there are other options that works similarly (some with even better ui) but without ads.

by The Lovely Darling

I’ve had Moovit for almost a year now and they just started putting ads into Moovit heavily. I mean nobody likes ads of course and they’re annoying to deal with but when you’re standing outside afraid to miss your bus trying to figure out where to go or if your phone is on 5% and you’re figuring out what bus comes next before it dies and then an ad pops up in your face. It’s extremely frustrating and sometimes stressful to deal with. I understand Moovit doesn’t really have a choice considering they aren’t earning money any other way that’s why I kept Moovit and tried dealing with it but I wish they did it in a better way or come up with a better way to show ads because this is honestly ridiculous and I’m starting to hate Moovit . I used to recommend Moovit constantly to all my friends and family because we all took public transportation for school or for work but now I want to delete it myself honestly.

by From Detroit With Love

Moovit is wonderful for showing me how to get anywhere. I moved to Israel from the US and regardless of my horrible Hebrew skills, I can travel anywhere comfortably using Moovit. The huge drawback is arrival times of busses and the stated end-of-trip arrival times.

When waiting for a bus, often a green real time indicator will show a bus is arriving in X minutes. But I find I need to add about 2 extra minutes to that number in the end. Or it will say the bus is arriving in 1 minute, but that displays for 4 minutes.

I have been late to almost every single meeting I have planned using Moovit. To the point of where I now know I have to add 30-75 extra minutes to this app’s estimated arrival time. One time I was 2 hours late to a meeting 18 km away because this app gave me a trip plan where the buses never showed up! No holiday, no road construction, no Shabbat, just a regular day.

by SaMay56

Moovit fills a much-needed niche that was lost when the APT (Association for Public Transportation) Car-Free Books quit being published. Bravo! This is a relatively thorough and comprehensive guide with most of the local transit authorities having coverage. Being able to pick out favorites is a good thing. Missing are local transit networks in western MA like the PVTA (Pioneer Valley Transit Authority) which serves greater Springfield and the Pioneer Valley near the Connecticutt River. There may be other such local transit authorities near Pittsfield MA or in the far western MA areas to get to summer arts and music events that might be included as well. It might also perform better in dark mode on iOS devices on the mapping. Map details disappear in dark mode at present. In the Lines domain, it might be helpful to indicate major places like Supermarkets, Malls, or Stadiums in parentheses next to the listed stops and cross streets. It might also be useful to make a link next to the transit stop icons that lights up the corresponding verbal listing and vice versa when selected on the map. These are minor set-backs which are easily fixed by the addition of pertinent information and a bit of tweaking by your webmaster/webmistress.

by Lux.con

It does what it says: finds the fastest, easiest, or laziest route to your destination by cross-referencing differing forms of Public Transportation (which you can filter) and then synchronizing them to achieve an optimal route. It’s like Waze or Google Maps but for ALL forms of Public Transportation. Most detailed and informed app I’ve come across for PT riders. This is like Google Map’s PT options, but far superior in scope and function.

COMPLAINT: One thing I can’t seem to figure out is how the step-by-step preview works. Like if I get a route that’s showing 1:20, 1:35; and 1:50 as viable boarding times for the 40-Bus line, and I choose the 1:50 time, will the train I’m taking the 40-Bus to still arrive around the same time it did for the 1:20 bus? I haven’t found a way to specify/edit certain time schedules to my own schedule.

TL;DR Moovit is top of its class, but User Interface could be more intuitive and less bloated.

by DevNul1

this app works great in general, but for public transit in Israel it made bad calculations for multibus trips for me. For example, I am at A and trying to go to B by public transit. this app tells me to walk 9 minutes to a bus stop, take bus 1 to a different stop, then take bus 2 to my destination. The problem is, bus 1 leaves in 6 minutes, and the next one won’t get me to the stop for bus 2 until after bus 2 has left, leaving me stranded at the bus 2 stop, especially when bus 2 comes only once an hour. I have to check this app’s math anytime I want to use it to ensure that the timing works out, and it often doesn’t. I don’t how that happens and it is quite frustrating and I have missed meetings over it.

EDIT: Update to four stars for high quality and prompt customer service to help fix the problem.

by Astrological-visionary

I started taking the bus to and from my college campus, and for someone who hadn’t used the bus before and had no idea when and where to go, Moovit saved me so much hassle. It’s overall pretty user friendly and the bus times are generally accurate (with a few exceptions). On a couple occasions it didn’t show the fastest route or it gave the wrong times but otherwise it was fine. The search function is a little bit odd. If you type in your desired location (a store or a bank or a park) it won’t show you the closest option to you. The first option on the list will be something that’s miles and miles away or in a different city when there’s definitely a closer option. Overall, a great app that just needs a couple of tweaks.

by Lost Spouse On Post

Moovit is so incredibly helpful! I moved to Europe for a few years and cramming in as much traveling as possible. No matter where I go, this app makes getting around the destination city a breeze. Especially bc you can pick a destination place (like a restaurant) and not have to know the nearest transportation stop name.

My only annoyance is re the stations page...not all bus stops show unless you zoom in. I’d rather see them all piled up indication I should zoom then none at all. I really only use this doing advanced planning bc I like to walk a lot to explore cities. But this isn’t a big deal bc if you search a route from current location (once there), it’ll show you the nearest and fastest options.

by Sjjckf

I recently moved to a location where it would be a 20min walk to the subway. Siri maps transit option DOES NOT DO WHAT Moovit DOES. WHICH IS SAVE YOU TIME FOR YOUR COMMUTE. Jeez I can finally sleep in a little longer. A friend recommended Moovit because I told her my struggle of my commute. I downloaded Moovit and it gave me so many options for my morning commute. I was able to find an express bus close by because of Moovit. So it cut my commute time in half! I love how it gives me two options of when my bus is coming. Just in case I miss the first one, I have some relief because I know when the next one is. I wish everyone had Moovit if you’re a morning commuter. You might just save your self some time!

by Gregsully

I have been using this app for this last year and found it to be a rather remarkable app, that replaced the best alternatives to it in the form of the Transit app.

As in addition to the shortcomings off Moovit , in its offline modes, when connected it’s such a wonderful program for live travel info in one easy to use platform.

I got stuck for what bus to catch, as the signage wasn’t clear and Google maps and Siri kept making bad suggestion, like take a bus going the wrong way and the journey will take 23 hours.

But this app, showed me not only the local bust stops location, but in their search feature, it was very helpful to not only find a bus when I was struggling to walk and breath, as it transpired I had blood-clots in my chest, it wasn’t too far away and I not only got the correct train, but in time to catch the later train to get home :0)

So yes I recommend it.

The offline mode would be helpful if it had the ability to download a areas maps, so my data usage could go down, when traveling, but to get the correct info is ever so helpful, in tome sensitive situations, and this app is a good solution.

by KirstQ

Just took a trip to Italy, France and Portugal and used this in Rome, Venice, Paris and Lisbon. It automatically changes your metro city, tells you which bus/train/metro/vaporetto/traghetto to take, gives you time estimates for your whole trip as well as public transport schedules. You can pick your route based on what’s available right now, when you want to leave, or when you want to arrive, so it’s super handy when you’re trying to figure out when to leave your hotel the next morning to get to exhibit “x” by 8 am. You can also choose your departure location so you can start from your location now or pick where you’ll be in 2 hours so you can plan your day. They also alert you of closures and problems, track your progress in real time via gps, and alert you when your stop is coming up. Moovit allowed us to safely and effectively ride public transport in countries where we did not speak the language. SO effective and reduced the stress of figuring out cheap transportation. Really, Moovit is a 100 out of 5 stars, absolutely LOVED it!!!!

by JokePeralta

I frequently roam NYC and Moovit is absolutely amazing... No fuss, no worry, it’s extremely efficient, reliable and **thorough**. This is amazing for someone who is planning a trip to NYC. Whether you need help getting around, or use it as a back up like myself, it never fails and you will not get lost or overwhelmed within the concrete jungle. this app navigates you to the *exact* location of the desired subway entrance (even has the price listed for NYer newbies) and gives names of the exact line. It’ll never put you on an express when you need a local, you’re always in good hands. I’ve haven’t had an issue with Moovit to date, only positives. I have not used Moovit for bus transportation but will in the future and assume things will be just as seamless.

by Doglover9754

I’m not lying, at first I got TheBus2 despite their review but then when I found the link to Moovit on their website by accident, I was honestly surprised how good Moovit was! It’s easy for me to navigate, I just found out that it will notify you when to get off, you can search up all the bus lines in your area, it tells you how long a walk to a stop is, and you can even call an Uber! It’s honestly amazing! I don’t see Moovit as social media or location revealing since at the beginning, Moovit does ask if you want Moovit to use locations all the time, sometimes, or never. But if you are a parent and are considering Moovit for you or your child, I would definitely get it! How would I know? This is my first year catching the bus as I am an incoming freshman!

by Itsthatasianguy

I’ve always found Moovit pretty reliable. Sometimes the timing can be off by a few minutes, so even if you think you missed your bus, wait another 3-5 minutes if you have time to spare. Likewise if you’re trying to make a run for a bus that’s “arriving soon”, there a chance you might’ve missed it already.

There has been days where service would be down because of maintenance or something else for buses/train lines.
I wish there was an option for users to submit that in and have other users to confirm for a faster update on routes. I’m not sure if there has been an update on it, but the last time I looked through report options, I didn’t see a “down for maintenance” in the selection

by Ramacharaca

I haven’t had to use the local transportation system in a minute but I had to this time and a lot of miracles happen because I did !$$$ so for one I’m thankful to even have this kind of service available to the public !$$$ I met a wonderful woman who would then introduce me to my Soul Mate !$$$ guess I was wrong when I said “ it only happens in the movies “ !$$$ and I also took the wrong number bus with no money left and had to turn back so I got two returned passes !$$$ only took longer because I messed up !$$$ if you use Moovit “this app” it becomes impossible to get lost and is all practically free !$$$ also it was mostly empty after 6 pm so it was confortable Bus route !$$$ over all I give this experience a 5/5 !$$$ have a great rest of your time on earth !$$$

by Stephany416

this app is the best and most reliable public transportation app I’ve ever used. I found lots of other apps to be confusing or not efficient for what I needed and honestly there’s too much good to write about to fit it all. They have directions for anything from buses to ferries, it’s all customizable for your needs such as less walking or best route or least transfers(my personal favorite). Also the live schedules where you can see how soon the bus or e.t.c. is arriving in real time is very useful. Despite this feature being available in many apps this app is the most accurate I’ve found. I’ve used Moovit for about 3 years now and I can’t imagine using anything else.

All that being said, just like any app there are occasional glitches and public transportation is always a learning experience no matter how good Moovit is. But all in all Moovit is very user friendly, efficient and a must have for any commuter anywhere.

by BChanelmusic

I sold my car about 4 months ago and decided to give LA Public Transit a try. It took me a bit to get acquainted with the properly, but once I figured out how everything worked it was truly a life saver. So far, Moovit has been incredibly accurate with regard to their real-time bus arrivals. It also does well with connecting you to other types of public transportation and has been pretty accurate with real-time predictions of the Metro trains. Their customer service is also great. I have email them a few times with questions or suggestions and they’ve always gotten back to me within the day. My first wish is to be able to customize your route so that you don’t have to use the suggested ones or if there is an area you’d like to avoid when traveling. My second wish is that you could plan ahead. Once you hit play, it will begin navigating you. It would great to have a function where you could set Moovit to being navigating for a future date and it remind you to leave. Similar to what you can do with Waze.

by Hanna__tui

I have honestly not tried any other apps like this. But I don’t believe I will need to. In my opinion, I believe New York is one of the busiest and most confusing places to ever travel and use transportation in. I’ve use Moovit my entire trip and it has helped me tremendously. I am more comfortable going out because I know that I can get to and from without getting lost. I would say if you have a hard time paying attention to detail Moovit may be confusing. In New York different subways are named the same but they are in fact not all the same so with Moovit you have to make sure you enter and exit the exact place that it tells you or you will end up not in the right spot. But once you’ve successfully use Moovit once you’ll be able toUse the subways and metro buses like a pro. even if you into the wrong subway entrance it gives you what stop to look for and in the subways it tells you what stops are coming up so you know that if it doesn’t match then you’re in the wrong spot. I definitely would recommend Moovit

by Deckard206

Moovit continues to astound me with its realtime updates and thorough coverage of my city. I downloaded it one day when I had walked a long ways from the bus stop I had gotten off at, and wondered if there were a better way home than walking back. Moovit used my location to detect a bus stop two blocks from where I was standing and told me the bus line number and that it was due to arrive in a few minutes and then every 17 minutes. It even showed me the current progress along its route of the bus arriving in a few minutes. this app is thorough, and well designed and integrated. I have nothing but positive for this terrific app. It even automatically switched to the Chicago maps and lines when I flew into Chicago O’Hare.

by Greg Takashi

I have primarily used this app with AC Transit in Berkeley and Oakland, and Moovit has been very unreliable regardless of the line, time of day, or day of the week. It usually doesn’t get the arrival times right. I made the mistake of not checking nextbus today, and now I will be standing at a bus stop for the next half hour because this app didn’t take into full account tracked buses and the unreliability of bus schedules. I downloaded Moovit with the hopes of having an alternative to nextbus, but unfortunately was disappointed. The only redeeming quality of Moovit is the fact that Moovit provides you with notifications as to when you should prepare to get on or off your bus. However, even this is flawed, as arrival notifications are usually given after the bus has already departed. I can only hope that the developers improve the most fundamental aspects of their app.

by Rytrom

I live in Israel. Moovit has screwed me and my friends over too many times. It will tell you a bus is coming at a certain time and then it just never shows up. Then, you look for another route and it tells you that the exact same bus is coming in 10 minutes instead- which it doesn’t. Today I had to walk 2 km to get to another stop because it was the only available route after I wasted 15 minutes waiting for a bus that never came. After I got off that bus I had a connection bus to take me to my final destination, but surprisingly enough that bus also never came. I ended up getting to my destination a few hours late due to factors that were not even in my control. I do have to give Moovit some credit because it works most of the time, but I can’t even remember how many times it screwed me over.

by Noventa Nueva

Moovit used to be great. A few changes have occurred the last few months that have made it extremely frustrating.

Before, I could load previous trips from the home screen. This meant not only the two locations I was traveling between, but the time at which I had searched for the trip. This was extremely useful because if Moovit closed, I could reload the trip at the push of a button, and know exactly where I was on the route and when I needed to get off.

The second thing that changed is that Moovit crashes very frequently in the background. When I’m traveling and have to reload the route, I now have to wait until I get on a stop so that Moovit can show me the bus I’m currently on. This can get extremely frustrating when I’m traveling on routes I’m not used to. In addition, when I have Live Directions set, Moovit still crashes in the background! I just had it happen and that got me to write this review.

It’s so frustrating that Moovit crashes a lot and I can’t reload entire trips from the home page. Just adding that one functionality back into Moovit would make a huge change in performance and usability of Moovit . Can the developers explain why they got rid of it?

by Argella

It's great that this app is available in my city (Christchurch NZ) and it's pretty accurate, but not down-to-the minute exact--not that I would hold a 3rd party app to that standard.

Best feature: live ride/get off alerts. It is worth having Moovit solely for this feature. Now I don't have to stare out the window on my whole bus commute; Moovit tells me when my stop is coming up.

The next most useful features for me are the trip planner, and being able to see which transit stops/lines are nearby. Helps me quickly figure out how to get somewhere.

I have been able to use it in every urban area I've traveled to so far. Very handy how it switches automatically to a new transit area while keeping all my favorites/saved places for each area separately. Excellent tool for people who travel to different cities. When I used it in NYC, I was very glad not to have to read all the confusing subway schedules at the stations! Thanks this app

Small quibbles:
-Sometimes it isn't clear when I'm currently in "trip" mode.
-It isn't super clear how to add favorite locations, stops, and lines.

by Diwinkc

I have been searching for an app that would give me EVERYTHING in one from bus routes, directions, driving routes, Para-Transit Taxi Services, Taxi, Uber, traffic, accidents, etc etc etc all in REAL-TIME! REAL-TIME Is so important when traveling, especially when riding the bus. They give you options right then, no second guessing. THANK YOU!!! My family (grandson) seems to think that I know EVERYTHING! Like I know ALL the bus routes and schedules. So I had him download Moovit so he could use it and stop asking me. So THANK YOU Developers for creating an app that is easy to use and multi functional!!!! PS: It also has the 👮🏽‍♀️ alerts added in for all you speeders!

by Saraswati1970

When I got totally fed up with traffic and parking in Jerusalem I decided to try public transportation. After missing the bus several times because it arrived (and departed) earlier than scheduled, I decided to give this app a try.
At first I only used it to take the bus from my rural community to the city. On days I had to get around to several places in the city I still took my car.
Sine realizing the convenience of knowing exactly how to take buses correctly and efficiently in the city, I never take my car anymore.
I save aggravation and money and get to feel that I’m part of the solution instead of the problem.
I use it now all over the world.

by KIki OC

I live in Denver, CO & am currently sans automobile. After a summer of spending too much money on ride shares & rentals, my bank account necessitated a different strategy.

Despite living in Denver for 10 years with increased public transportation options throughout the years, I had always been hesitant to give them a real opportunity. Having moved from Chicago & utilizing the El, Metro Train & truly great a bus system, I was a non-believer in Denver’s RTD.

Fast-forward to a job opportunity requiring a commute. A quick search through Moovit store led me to Move it & I haven’t looked back since. It’s user-friendly (I’m Gen X) & most of all reliable. Now I just need to figure out how to download the bus pass to my phone!

by Tgp7796

We are from the US, Senior citizens (65 yrs old) and first timers in Toronto. The service at Line 1 is excellent except for our FIRST DAY (8/5/19 around 12- 1 pm ) experience wherein since we were new in the area we seek an assistance from an employee who was comfortably sitting on her chair with her legs stretched out to the floor and was rude in answering our queries. Worst thing is after we bought the ticket the door where I used didn’t open even if I swiped or scanned my ticket. She knew I had some problem but NEVER BOTHERED TO GET UP FROM HER CHAIR TO HELP ME until later when another lady employee came and helped us only to find that the door had some problem thus she let us move to another door. It was a horrible experience for us which was our first impression that people are not RUDE and NOT HELPFUL. But thank goodness that was the only bad experience we had, all the rest that followed were good since most of the employees we approached were helpful. That single employee must have problems but SHE should be taught to have GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE since that’s part of HER JOB.
We love traveling thru the SUBWAY and the Bus service are good too.

by Real_oceanprayer

I had a trip to Rome Italy, but did not want to pay Taxi or Uber fees to get around the city. I wanted to use the public transportation (bus, tram, metro, etc) to get around Rome. Looked at maps but they were very confusing. During an internet search I came across Moovit (a few days after arriving Rome). Brilliant app, showed me how to get from one point to another in Rome using buses, metro, trams, local trains, even showing the stops in between, real time tracking at what point of the route you are, etc. And the same is possible in most parts and major cities of the world. Love Moovit, saved me so much taxi fare already.