Public bus from catania to taormina

We will be in the port of Catania from 7-4. We would like to take public bus to Taormina, is this possible? Where is the bus station and how far from port?

How much time should we allow in Taormina and what time to catch return bus?

I know a lot of questions but in my research I could not find the answers I need or information was very old.

Yes, it's possible and not very difficult.

The bus depot is located on Via Archimede (between Viale della Libertà and Via Enrico de Nicola), near the train station. It's a one mile walk from the cruise port (you can find the cruise port on a google map using the following coordinates: 37.501186, 15.093936).

The bus is run by Etna Trasporti, part of the Interbus consortium.

Most runs take 70 minutes (check carefully, a few take quite a bit longer due to different routes) and cost €8,50 round trip (there is a discount for purchasing a round trip ticket, one way is €5,10).

You can see the schedule for your date here: http://www.interbus.it/Home.aspx

Catania cruise port info: http://www.cataniacruiseterminal.it/calendario-terminal-crociere-catania/

Have a back up option as public transportation work stoppages in Italy are somewhat frequent. It happened to us last summer in Venice and the trains were not running.

Have a back up option as public transportation work stoppages in Italy are somewhat frequent. It happened to us last summer in Venice and the trains were not running.

No, they are not frequent. Strikes are announced well in advance and alternatives are available.

That said, it doesn't matter how often they happen, as a visitor you only care if they happen on the day you are there. The actual frequency of strikes is only an issue for residents who use transportation services every day.

Therefore, if you are counting on public transit you should know how to check on potential strikes before you leave so you can make an alternate plan if you need to.

For that matter, anyone using public transit should have an alternate plan in mind, or at the very least an understanding of what resources are available, before setting out. What would you do if something went wrong and your planned transport doesn't happen? Trains derail, highways have accidents, storms hit and stop water transport. You should always have a "plan B" in your pocket just in case.