Is Nohi Bus reliable? (Takayama - Shinhotaka)

Hi,

I am planning a day trip to Shinhotaka Ropeway. I was wondering whether anyone had any experience with Nohi Bus on their Takayama to Shinhotaka route?

For the return journey, I am planning to catch the 16:55 bus from Shinhotaka, arriving into Takayama at 18:31. I will then catch the last Hida train to Nagoya at 18:48.

Is the bus generally reliable and am I likely to make this connection?

Also, how do I pay for the bus please?

Many thanks in advance. :)

Japanese transport system is reliable
You need 2200 yen, 53 km, 95 min From Takayama to shin hotaka ropeway by nohi highway bus via nyukawa or hirayu onsen

Any transportation can't be 100% reliable. There might be heavy snowfalls, car accidents etc. which may cause delay. You may better prepare for the planB and as for Takayama, plan B is hard to find. Rather than catching the last train, you may better take the early train of the next day and stay 1 night in Takayama. If I were you I dont want to worry about the transfer all day. If you stay one night in Takayama you will have more peace in mind.

I assume your trip is planned in this month or November.
No heavy snow is expected in November, however you may take an earlier bus departing at 15:55 from Shin Hodaka Ropeway Bus Stop arriving at 17:31 in Takayama Nohi Bus Center.

You had better plan to have more time before heading to Nagoya.

The bus company says:
on the Takayama - Shinhotaka route,
due to the restoration work following the disaster caused by torrential rainfall,
all the buses have been delayed.

Is Nohi bus reliable - in my experience, yes. I use it many times a year on the route between Takayama and Matsumoto, not the to/from Shinhotaka route. Even with ice/snow, the buses run to schedule.
The one time I experienced a delay was due to heavy weekend traffic (combined with roadworks) in Matsumoto city. Made the last 1km take around 20 minutes. I can't imagine a similar delay arriving back into Takayama, but it is possible for something to go wrong.

Thank you to all who responded.

I appreciate the advice, and I have decided to leave earlier in the morning to have the same amount of time at the ropeway, but to leave earlier and catch the 15:55 bus back to Takayama, just in case the 16:55 runs late. :)