Bus travel in Tuscany

Is bus travel reliable regional transportation in Tuscany?

Kathy, define "reliable regional transportation".

We rode the bus from Greve to Florence and back. The buses are used by citizens to get to jobs and shopping and from what I can tell, they run on time.

If you mean "Can I count on them to get me to where I want to go when I want to go there?", then you need to research. Not every small town is on the bus line. If they are, often you can't go directly from A to C without going to "B", which is a hub. For instance, if I want to go from Greve to Siena, it's a lovely 1 hour drive down the famed SR222. By public transportation, the same trip takes nearly 3 hours. Going from Greve to Volterra takes around 1 hour 15 minutes by car and 3 1/2 hours by bus.

It's phisically impossible to open the Corridor before 2020.

If you're staying in a bus hub city like Florence or Siena, you can reliably visit many (but not all) places by bus. You will however need to be attentive to timing of the last bus back, e.g. the last direct bus back to Florence from Greve is surprisingly early. If you're staying at a remote location or want to move between smaller towns in Tuscany then, as previously pointed out, buses can be time-consuming to use and a car would work better. With more information about your plans, people will be able to provide better feedback.

The Vasari Corridor is not scheduled to be opened until 2020.

Tuscany is a large area, can you give us a city or town location.

It sounds like you will travel in late May? (It's important to know this for sharing the best advice.) We had planned to use buses for some trips while in Tuscany; the host of the agriturismo we stayed at wisely advised us to rent a car. Bus schedules are designed to get local residents to and from work and school--so expect fewer trips mid-day, weekends, and during school holidays. There are, of course, more options for the larger towns and cities. Knowing where in Tuscany you plan to travel will help members of this Forum give you the best advice. Enjoy your trip!

It’s reliable for commuters to work and to school from/to the main town (the hub) in the area to the surrounding towns and villages.
That is what the local bus service is designed for.
Bus service on Sundays and Holidays or at night (after 8:30pm) is scant to non existent.
Also service during midday hours is limited.
If your purpose is tourism, I recommend a car.