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Fleet Management · head to head

NexTraq vs Transit

NexTraq logo

NexTraq

Fleet Management

US small-fleet telematics now absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Transit logo

Transit

Maps

Public transit trip planning and real-time arrivals for buses, trains and shared bikes and scooters

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Transit has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: NexTraq the NexTraq brand has been absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet, so the product name, the account team and eventually the platform underneath you are all subject to a consolidation plan you have no say in.; Transit coverage depends entirely on whether the local transit agency publishes a real-time feed, so quality swings sharply between well-funded metro systems and smaller regional operators.
  • They diverge on capability: NexTraq covers Vehicle tracking, Transit covers Real-time arrivals.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NexTraq and Transit actually diverge.

Attributes where NexTraq and Transit differ
AttributeNexTraqTransit
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFree to riders; revenue from agency data and fare-payment transaction fees
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android, Web
CategoryFleet ManagementMaps

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in NexTraq

  • Vehicle tracking
  • Hours of service
  • Fuel and idling reporting
  • Maintenance scheduling
  • Job dispatch
  • Driver scorecards

Only in Transit

  • Real-time arrivals
  • Multi-modal trip planning
  • Service alerts
  • In-app fare payment
  • Offline schedules
  • GO transit and micromobility layers

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

NexTraq

  • A North American trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and ELD compliance from one mid-market vendornot Transit
  • An operator already buying Michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreementnot Transit
  • A fleet replacing an ageing tracking system that values an owner with a large corporate balance sheet over a venture-funded challengernot Transit
  • A distribution business needing straightforward fuel and idling reporting to justify a driver behaviour programmenot Transit

Transit

  • A commuter in a city with a well-maintained GTFS-realtime feed wanting live bus and train arrivalsnot NexTraq
  • A rider comparing a transit trip against a bike share or scooter leg for the last milenot NexTraq
  • A visitor needing offline-capable static schedules in a city with patchy data coveragenot NexTraq
  • Someone wanting to buy a transit fare inside the same app used to plan the trip, in supported citiesnot NexTraq

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

NexTraq

  • The NexTraq brand has been absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet, so the product name, the account team and eventually the platform underneath you are all subject to a consolidation plan you have no say in.
  • Michelin is merging three separately engineered telematics products, which historically means feature freezes on the older platforms and a migration that existing customers pay for in disruption rather than cash.
  • The feature set is mid-market and unexceptional, so it rarely wins a technical evaluation against Geotab or Samsara on capability alone.
  • Contracts bundle hardware into multi-year terms, so a fleet that shrinks or is acquired continues paying for devices, and early exit triggers hardware recovery costs.
  • The integration ecosystem is small and the API is not a selling point, so connecting telematics data to job costing or payroll usually means custom work or scheduled file exports.

Transit

  • Coverage depends entirely on whether the local transit agency publishes a real-time feed, so quality swings sharply between well-funded metro systems and smaller regional operators.
  • The company earns its revenue by selling agencies a paid analytics product built from rider trip data, which means the free app functions partly as a data-collection layer for a business customer, not only as a public service.
  • In-app fare payment is only available in a limited set of cities, so the headline feature is not something most riders can actually use.
  • Static schedule fallback in low-data cities is only as accurate as the agency last published, and service changes can go unreflected for weeks.
  • The app has no offline routing without a cached area, so it is not reliable for navigation in areas with poor mobile signal.

Pricing, plan by plan

NexTraq

On request
  • NexTraq$undefined/year
    • Per vehicle subscription with hardware bundled into the term
    • Multi-year agreements are standard
    • ELD and dispatch modules priced as tiers

Transit

Free
  • Rider appFree
    • Real-time arrivals and trip planning
    • No ads shown to riders
    • In-app fare purchase where supported

Which should you pick?

Choose NexTraq if

  • You need vehicle tracking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want hours of service.
NexTraq review

Choose Transit if

  • You need real-time arrivals.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want multi-modal trip planning.
Transit review

Questions people ask

Is NexTraq or Transit better?
Neither clearly leads. NexTraq starts at On request and Transit at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NexTraq or Transit?
Transit has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for NexTraq and Free for Transit.
Does NexTraq or Transit run on more platforms?
NexTraq runs on Web, iOS, Android. Transit runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Transit for free?
Yes. Transit has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. NexTraq starts at On request.
What is NexTraq best used for?
NexTraq is most often used for a north american trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and eld compliance from one mid-market vendor, an operator already buying michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreement, a fleet replacing an ageing tracking system that values an owner with a large corporate balance sheet over a venture-funded challenger, a distribution business needing straightforward fuel and idling reporting to justify a driver behaviour programme. Of those, a north american trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and eld compliance from one mid-market vendor and an operator already buying michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreement are not what Transit is typically brought in for.
What can NexTraq do that Transit cannot?
NexTraq covers Vehicle tracking, Hours of service, Fuel and idling reporting, Maintenance scheduling. Transit covers Real-time arrivals, Multi-modal trip planning, Service alerts, In-app fare payment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NexTraq: Is NexTraq still a separate company?

No. Michelin bought it in 2017 and has folded it into Michelin Connected Fleet, together with Masternaut in Europe and Sascar in Brazil.

Transit: Does Transit cost anything to use?

No. The rider app is free with no subscription and no ads; the company earns money separately by selling agencies a paid data and communication platform.

NexTraq: Will my NexTraq system be migrated to a different platform?

Assume so, eventually. Ask directly what the migration timetable is, what happens to historical data, and who bears the cost of re-fitting or re-configuring devices.

Transit: Does it work in every city?

No. Coverage depends on whether the local transit agency publishes a GTFS or GTFS-realtime feed; some smaller markets have static schedules only.

NexTraq: Does buying Michelin tyres get me a better telematics price?

It is worth testing. The commercial logic of the acquisition is bundling vehicle services, and that is where discounting is most likely to be available.

Transit: Can I buy a bus or train ticket in the app?

Only in cities where the local agency has integrated fare payment; elsewhere you still need the agency app or a physical ticket.

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