Royale FAQ

We’ve partnered with some transit agencies to offer Royale for free to all their riders. Click here for more information if you’ve received a message in the app from your transit agency about upgrading to Royale. If you have not seen a message in the app that your transit agency is upgrading you to Royale, continue reading this page.

What is Transit Royale?

You’re asking me to purchase a subscription. Why?

We gotta pay the bills! While core app features remain free (and always will) we now require a paid subscription for certain Transit features. It’s a necessary move that ensures all of Transit’s designers, data scientists, developers, and more, can keep working on Transit.

Together, we make sure your app is super reliable, super fast, and super fun to use. We spend all day talking with transit agencies to hunt down better data sources. Fixing broken transit data. Tweaking algorithms that predict when your buses and trains will show up. Designing features to make Transit better.

We don’t blast you with ads. We don’t sell your data. We think that’s wrong. Instead, certain features are only available to Royale subscribers – which ensures we can keep working for you, not someone else.

For more information, you can read our announcement here.

Note: We’re an independent company. Our app works for your transit agency, but also many others in more than 500 cities around the world. Our team, based in Montreal, Canada, rides transit too — and we rely on the support of riders like you to keep us going.

What features do I get with Royale?

By upgrading to our premium version, Transit Royale, you get access to every feature you’re used to. And a lot more. Including…

All transit lines: Look up future departure times, track vehicles, and more, for any transit line.
More trips: Expand the number of trip results when you use the trip planner.
Unlimited transit schedules: Want to look up the schedule of next week’s bus? Now you can.
GO celebrity status: Create the perfect alter ego when you ride — you can choose your own emoji and a nickname to climb up the leaderboards when you use GO.
Custom themes: Make Transit feel more like, well, YOU! Customize your app icon, and the app colour scheme when you use Transit.
More iconic icons: Unlock 20+ new icons to mark your favourite places, so they feel more personal and quirky — not just like pins on a map.

How do I get Royale?/How much does Royale cost?

If your local transit agency doesn’t sponsor Royale for their riders, you can purchase a subscription for Royale to access full schedules, see all transit lines in your area, customize your app with new themes and icons, and help support us here at Transit.

Royale subscription prices vary by geography and are adjusted to your local currency. To purchase Royale or check how much Royale costs in your region, follow these steps:

Note: First, make sure you have at least version 5.9.0 of the app installed! We always recommend updating to the newest version of the app available in the App Store or Play Store.

Open the app and, tap the gear icon on the top left of the main screen.
Tap the Royale banner at the top of the screen.
Tap the yellow button at the bottom of the screen.
Choose your plan "Monthly" or "Annual", then tap "Upgrade to Royale" or "Start 7-day free trial". If you choose an annual subscription, you'll get a one-week free trial that you can cancel at any time! Your subscription will start at the end of the free trial.

Note: Only one free trial is available per user.
Confirm your subscription and voilà, you’re Royalty! 🎉

Warning: Your Royale account is tied to your App Store/Play Store account, not to your Transit account. That means that if you get a new phone, you'll have to download Transit using the same Apple ID or Google Play Store account to restore Royale on your phone again. If you’re having any issues, you can reach out to our User Support team at info@transitapp.com.

I can't afford a subscription.

We understand completely. Not everyone is in the same financial situation. This is why we're offering free subscriptions for those who can't afford it. Here's how to ask for it:

Tap the Royale banner.
Scroll down to "Can't afford it?" and tap on "Learn more".

You will be able to send us an email with the information we need to send you Royale, on us, for free.

Using Transit without Royale

Will I still be able to use Transit if I don’t pay for Royale?

Yes - it’s important to us that everyone who depends on Transit can continue to do so. That’s why core features of the app will always remain free, including:

Access to the trip-planner (maximum of three trip results)
Arrivals and departures for a minimum of three transit lines, plus all transit lines with nearby stops
Unlimited access to GO to track your trip
Ability to create an account, pin your favorite lines, and save your stats

Will I still be able to see my bus or train line if I don’t have Royale?

Yes, you’ll still be able to see the next departure time for all nearby buses and trains — even if you just use the free version of Transit. You’ll still be able to tap on the lines closest to you (the ones at the top of the list) to get more info: like future departure times, vehicle tracking, and route maps.

However, a Royale subscription is required to see more information for lines that are farther away. If you want to use Transit to check additional departure times for buses and trains that aren’t nearby, you’ll have to upgrade to Royale.

What does the “crown 👑” icon on my bus line mean?

If you see a little crown, it means that line is far enough away from your current location so your access to info on that line is limited (or will be, soon) unless you upgrade to Royale.

All users get a 2-week grace period when they can see all available information for all transit lines (including faraway lines with the Royale crown). But full access will go away, so you should upgrade to Royale soon.

What about the free version of the app?

It’s still here, and we’ll keep working to improve it. All the transit information you access in the app (like schedules, arrival times, vehicle locations, etc.) will continue to be updated. We use the exact same information to power the free version of Transit as the premium "Royale" version. However: if you want unlimited access to that information — like departure times on far away lines, or transit schedules far into the future — you’ll have to upgrade.

Royale Troubleshooting

I paid for Royale but I can't see my subscription.

If you have Royale through the community program, please see the Community Subscription section for help.

This can happen if you get a new device, or delete and reinstall Transit. Here’s how to restore Royale to your device:

Make sure you're logged into the same Apple ID or email associated with your Google Play account that you used to purchase Royale.
If you haven’t already, sign into your Transit account. If you don’t have one, create a Transit account.
Next, tap the gear icon at the top left of the main screen.
Tap the Royale banner at the top of the screen.
On the Royale announcement screen, scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap "Restore purchase".

If you switched from an Android device to an iOS device or from an iOS device to an Android device, follow the instructions here.

Still doesn’t work? Contact us a info@transit.app.

I switched to an Android device / iOS device, how do I get Royale back?

If you had a Transit account on your old device, simply logging in on your new device should restore Royale. Here’s how to sign into your Transit account.

If not, here’s what to do:

Create a Transit account on your old device.
Make sure Royale is active on your old device - if not, restore your purchase.
Sign into your Transit account on your new device.

Still doesn’t work? Contact us at info@transitapp.com.

I canceled my free trial but still got charged.

If you started the free trial, you will not be charged until the end of the trial period.

You may see a posted charge, but a hold is put on the funds until the trial period has ended. If you cancel before the end of this period, no charges will be applied.

To cancel your free trial, follow the steps here.

If you still need a refund, you can go through the App Store/Google Play Store by following the instructions below.

How can I request a refund for a Royale subscription that I bought?

To request a refund for your subscription, you’ll have to go through the App store or the Play Store directly.

If you are using an iOS device:

You can visit this page with more detailed instructions: Request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple.
To check the status of a refund request, please follow the instructions here.

If you are using an Android device:

To request a refund, you can request it on the Google Play website within 48 hours of the purchase. You can use this link and follow the instructions. If it’s been more than 48 hours since the purchase was made, we can issue a refund for you. Please reach out at info@transitapp.com and we can help you there.

How can I change or cancel my subscription?

If you want to cancel your subscription or switch from monthly to yearly, or vice versa, you can do so through your app.

Tap on the gear icon at the top left of the main screen.
Tap the Royale banner, then scroll all the way down and tap "Manage subscription". You will then be taken to the App Store or Google Play Store where you’ll be able to change your type of subscription, or cancel if you no longer wish to be subscribed.

Will I be able to use my Royale subscription on multiple devices?

Yes, if:
- all devices are connected to the same Apple ID account, or
- all devices are part of the same iCloud Family on iOS
Unfortunately, sharing between a Family Library on Android is not currently supported.

What happened to custom nicknames?

When we first launched Royale, subscribers could personalize their Transit emoji alter ego by writing in a custom nickname. These nicknames were visible in the leaderboard for each line.

Unfortunately, a small minority used this feature to express hateful messages and slogans. We did our best to root out and ban these nicknames, but – you guessed it – quickly found ourselves in a never-ending game of whack-a-mole.

At the end of the day, we’re not content moderators. We’re a small team focused on developing new app features, squashing bugs, and improving the quality of transit information in the app. So after much deliberation, we removed the ability to write-in custom nicknames in September 2024.

On the plus side, our in-house nickname generator is alive and kicking out nicknames like "Transparent Pea Pod" and "Distant Juicebox". Just press the shuffle button to find a new emoji, then tap the nickname to generate your new nom de bus.

Questions? Comments? Email us at info+en@transit.app.

Community Subscription

What is the community subscription?

We think Transit Royale is affordable (annual subs come down to a couple bucks a month!), but it’s money some of our users don’t have. That’s why we offer a limited number of community subscriptions: basically, free subscriptions for those who need them most.

If you’re able to, please consider paying for a Royale subscription. Not only does it fund our work, but it helps support giving away free subscriptions to those who can’t afford it.

How can I apply for a community subscription?

Note: We recommend creating a Transit account before applying - otherwise, you may lose your subscription if you get a new phone. Here’s how to create an account.

Tap the gear icon at the top left of the main screen
Tap the Royale banner and scroll down to "Can’t afford it?"
Tap "Learn more", scroll down and tap "Can’t afford it? Request low-income subscription."
Fill out the request form. We’ll send an activation email to your inbox.
- There may be a delay of up to 30 minutes before you receive the email. Check your spam folder!
- Tap the link in the email using the same mobile device you have Transit installed on.

When will my community subscription expire?

Community subscriptions expire after one year. After this period, you’ll have to re-apply for an community subscription ( see previous section) or purchase a paid subscription to keep your access to Royale.

I don’t see my community subscription.

Note: Please make sure to log in to your Transit account before trying the following troubleshooting steps. If you don’t have a Transit account, create one: here’s how.

You might not see your community subscription for a few different reasons.

You switched to a new device or deleted and reinstalled Transit
- If you have a Transit account, signing back in to your account should restore your subscription — here’s how.
- If you don’t have a Transit account, you’ll have to reapply for a community subscription by following the steps in the section below. We strongly encourage you to create a Transit account so you don’t lose your community subscription again (and to save your stats and favorites).
Your community subscription expired
- Please read the instructions under "When will my community subscription expire?"

If you’re still having trouble with your community subscription, email us at info+en@transit.app and we’ll investigate.