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Bus from Florence to Siena on June 7 2024 - what site do I use to buy bus tickets in advance

Posted by on

Hi Everyone
I have researched my question but have confusing found info . This is what I have found on an older RS forum post , reading the November 2022 RS Italy book and by googling the question:
- Google search - You can catch the bus at the SITA bus terminal at via Santa Caterina da Siena, 11, 50123 Firenze FI. https://www.sitabus.it/en/florence-siena-bus/

- RS forum says AT bus 131R is the line . The person on the forum stated the following : Since Nov. 2021 the entire bus transportation system is Tuscany has been taken over by the new company called AUTOLINEE TOSCANE (Tuscan Bus Lines). For the Florence-Siena timetable go to the webpage below and click on 131R. That is the Rapid Bus (the one that goes through the freeway without intermediate stops. The 131 without the R makes stops). Download the PDF timetable and you have all the runs.
https://www.at-bus.it/en/timetables.html#modTimetables_collapseExtraU
- The RS book says look at www.tiemmespa.it for tickets. I went to that site and could not figure out how to get bus tickets from Florence to Siena. I was prompted to put in a destination and Siena did not come up as a choice.

I have been to all three sites and I think the at-bus.it site is correct but I need more detailed help on this. I entered 131r as the individual from the forum suggested and the line comes up but then I am prompted to name a stop. I don’t know what stop to enter. Can some one help please? I’m sure this is easy and I’m just missing something.. you help is certainly appreciated in learning how to buy these tickets.

  • Also, I want to leave June 7 around 6:30am to arrive in Siena around 8:00am . Is this possible? Do they have buses that run that early?

  • Also, how far in advance can I buy 4 tickets? Are tickets only available a few days in advance?

I realize I am starting very far in advance of my date of departure in addressing the transportation nature of this trip and the tickets I want to buy may not be available yet. However, learning how to do this now instead of later, is helpful . Also, given that I prefer to go on an early bus to Siena from Florence, I want to be ready to buy tickets once they are released to avoid being shut out due to the bus being filled up.

Posted by
6989 posts

I believe you can just buy from the driver or a tabac nearby
Or at the station
I doubt the bus will sell out

You could buy the tickets the day before, they are not specific to any day/time AFAIK

Posted by
343 posts

We used Flix Bus on a trip from Rome to Sienna. It was pretty full both ways. They price higher the closer to your travel date. IDK where they will drop you. They dropped us at the bottom of the hill going into town. As we had nothing else to do we walked up to our Air BnB.

https://www.flixbus.com

Posted by
6989 posts

That’s a different route, different bus company.

The bus OP needs is the local Tuscan Line and has many buses each day, as it is used by locals

It will drop you up in town not at the station which is why it’s a better choice than train

Posted by
728 posts

We went last September. It is Autolinee Toscane. The departure station is Autostazione Autolinee Toscane which is located at Via Santa Catarina da Siena, 17 just off to the southwest of the main Florence train station-Santa Maria Novella. Locate it on google maps as this helps. We purchased our tickets at the window inside. Busses (the 131R) run frequently.

Posted by
15826 posts

Forget SITA, TIEMME, and the like. They are gone.

Autolinee Toscane (AT), a bus company owned by the French RATP company, won the public contract from the Tuscany Regional government to manage the entire public bus system in Tuscany in 2016. Because of some bureaucratic delays the company actually took over the entire bus transit system in November 2021.

The bus you want is the Rapid bus no. 131R (R stands for Rapid, since there is also the 131 which makes several stops). The timetable is available below, and you can also download the entire timetable in PDF.

https://www.at-bus.it/en/linee-e-orari/regionali-131r

There are several ways to buy (AT app, participating retailers, Tabnet app, etc.) all explained below
https://www.at-bus.it/en/tickets-and-passes/buying-guide
(Click on how to buy)

Posted by
7565 posts

What do you mean "interpret"? The site has an English option, so you should be able to go to the Travel Planner and plug in your arrival and departure cities. Is there something in particular that you do not understand?

Posted by
126 posts

By interpret I mean that I don’t understand how to read the timetables that can be downloaded .

Posted by
126 posts

Also, I don’t know what it means when I plug in the 131R line and the Siena via Tozzi stop departing at 6:30am , why two trains show up for 6:35am . One for Autostazione and one for Einstein. What does that mean?

Posted by
7324 posts

It means that two buses depart at 0635- one for Einstein and one for the Autostazione. The table headed- Feriale escluso Sabato means Mondays to Fridays and the one headed Sabato runs on Saturday only.
On the Monday to Friday schedule the special codes L002 means Schooldays Mon to Friday and L004 School Holidays Mon-Friday, L001 means Saturdays in school term time and V6 means Saturdays in School Holidays.

I only read Ecclesiastical Latin (so can cope well in Church!), not modern Italian, but can understand Italian bus, rail and boat timetables sufficiently well to interpret them.

Posted by
543 posts

I bought tickets the evening before at the bus station located adjacent to the train station. The next morning we showed up and got on the bus. It was that simple.

Posted by
126 posts

Thanks for all the help everyone! I think I got this figured out now. I truly appreciate all the comments and suggestions! I couldn’t have understood how to do this without you!

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