Train/bus ticket and 90 minutes

Nothing will happens just make sure you validate the card in the yellow machine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHEjP541_Xw

If you think it will take more than 90 minutes to get where you are going buy two tickets and validate the other one after the 1st one expires

After the first one expires, if I'm already riding on the bus, do I validate it while riding so I don't 'run out' of minutes?

If you are on the bus when the first one expires validate the 2nd;
The police do random checks of tickets and if it is not validated you will get a fine.
This happens to tourists a lot who don't take time to understand the system.
It is an "honor" system. The bus driver just drives the bus and opens the doors s/he does not tell people to validate.
Florence is small it should not take 90 minutes to get to your hotel from the airport

Thank you for your help.

You're right it shouldn't take me over 90 minutes to get transportation. But I just wanted to be prepared. I don't want to be an ugly tourist. I assume if I do buy a ticket and don't use it that day, I would be able to use it another day, no nothing really wasted.

Again, thank you for helping,
Elaine

There are two T2 tram stops and multiple bus stops around the SMN train station. Which bus do you plan to take and to what area? Better to know where to get off the T2 tram and which bus stop to go to before you arrive rather than wandering around trying to find the right one.

And correct, an unvalidated bus ticket can be used at another time.

Hello Frank, yes you are right about knowing which bus. From a blurry map on the internet, it looks like the C2 would work from SM train station, and would take me closest to Piazza della Repubblica which is just north a block of my hotel. Are there two stops at Santa Maria of the Tram? I'm assuming I would take it to the end of the line. I suppose I could ask my hotel which bus line is closest.
thank you for your help.

T2 ends its run in front of Hotel Baglioni (piazza dell'Unità). You just walk up via Panzani for 50 meters to find a C2 stop; but also C4 would work to Piazza della Repubblica. If you have to go there, it may be that walking is faster than waiting for C2/C4.

Lachera, thank you so much for your reply! I can see it was not as straightforward as I thought. I would have been a bit lost had you not helped.

Also I took a good look at Google maps to ascertain bus stop and taxi stand. Unbelievably helpful.

It's a good idea to buy a few tickets before you get on the tram.
We used our spare tickets, after a couple of days of being there, to ride around on one of the "C" or "D" routes, just to rest our feet and get out of the blazing heat for half an hour or so!
Florence now has tap features on buses and trams using your bank cards.
I've never tried it.

To get to the C2/C4 bus stop mentioned above, go to the opposite side of the street from Hotel Baglioni and go to your left (opposite direction from train station). Stay left along the street rather than angling right which leads you into Piazza SMN. The bus stop will be in the middle of the block, so if you reach the next cross street you've gone too far. The C2/C4 buses run about every 10 minutes on weekdays and about every 15 minutes on Sundays. Whichever one you take, get off at the next stop. That's how close it is. To get to Piazza della Repubblica after exiting the C2, just continue along Via Roma, and for the C4 go back to the corner and turn left. You should have no problem completing the trip from the airport on one ticket.

Devil's Advocate - If you've never used public transportation very much, maybe taking a tram and a bus from the Florence airport isn't that good of an idea, especially since you have mentioned that you are a notice traveler.

It's okay to take a taxi from the airport to your hotel.

If your luggage is small enough to take tram and bus, it is light enough to walk from Piazza dell’Unità to Piazza della Repubblica. It’s a 5 min walk, including the occasional window shopping along the way.

If luggage is a problem, then you are better off with a taxi. The flat fare is about 23€ plus 1€ per bag.

I once got checked on a bus and we were pushing the 90 minutes -- I really held my breath as he ran the ticket into the scanner because I knew we were cutting it close -- we made it, but do keep track and validate another ticket if you are over time. You should be able to do it in 90 minutes.

Estimated Prophet: Thank you I appreciate that advise. I plan to make my final decision about transportation once I land in Florence - depending on how tired/alert/anxious I feel. I've taken the water taxis in Venice by myself, easy-peasy, train from Wales to London Heathrow by myself. Learned to be quick boarding on those trains. I plan to take the train from Arezzo (sp?) to Rome and then a transfer to Naples by myself. I would rather make 'travel mistakes' and "practice" in Florence than mess up in Rome or Naples, so I'm spreading my wings and going to give it a shot.