Bus From Cashel to Waterford - need help & local advice

drive on right

Hello.

We will be spending our vacation (holiday) in Ireland in September.
Since we drive on OPPOSITE side of road in USA - we are NOT hiring a car.

We want to take the bus from Cashel (change in Cahir) to Waterford for the day on a Saturday. I know we need Expressway X8. From Cahir: we can take EITHER bus: Expressway 55 or Bus Eireann 355.

How reliable are the buses?

IF Expressway X8 is starting at Dublin Airport ("Dublin to Cork") & schedule says it arrives at 10:05 -
How late would it arrive in Cork?

We will change buses in Cahir.
We can take Expressway 55 at 10:30 OR....Bus Eireann 355 at 11:30.
We are O.K. if we need to wait 1 hour and are happy to visit Cahir Castle.

We do not want to wait for 2 or 3 hours.


BUT....HOW reliable ARE the buses??

I read on Trip Advisor how many people wait for a bus that NEVER comes.
How a bus drives past the stop and DOES not stop.
That IF a bus if FULL - you are NOT allowed on and need to wait for the next one.

We will be in small towns. There are NO other choices.

IF we eat dinner in Cahir and the LAST bus to Cashel NEVER comes.
We CAN NOT WALK 17 km to our B&B!!!

Any advice would be VERY helpful.

THANK YOU

Expressway buses are generally very reliable. There may be some delay due to traffic issues but I would think it is very rare for an Expressway bus not to turn up or be full on a Saturday in Sept.
It might be worth emailing your concerns to the B&B. In most cases they are very aware of the lack of public transport options and are very willing to pick up their customers within a reasonable distance, often free.
Cahir is a very tourist dependent town so I would also be pretty sure it would have a taxi service, - the local hotel Cahir House Hotel or the Tourist Office at the castle would probably have numbers etc.

Geog1234

There is also a train from Tipperary and Cahir to Waterford which is much more comfortable plus you get a better view of the scenery.

You could catch the Local Link bus at 08.55 from Cashel into Tipp town and pick up the train to Waterford at 09.54 from there

Local Link timetable:
https://www.locallink.ie/media/1407/locallink-route-855_june18_webv.pdf

The train fare can simply be bought at the ticket office or, if closed, paid to the ticket collector onboard. It's €10.60 return. If you wish you can purchase online and just show the email to the ticket collector.

On arrival in Waterford cross the bridge (it's a major road bridge but has footpaths and pedestrian crossings) and this brings you to the start of the central area.

Return from Waterford at 16.25, arriving in Cahir 17.34 and Tipp at 17.56