Buses from Kraków to Tarnów run about every 15-35mins, with the first leaving as early as 05:55 and the last bus back to Kraków departing at 21:00. In addition to standard PKS service (which can be unreliable), Voyager also makes the trip, as do minibuses, which depart across from the Kraków bus station; the journey takes between 1hr 25mins and 2hrs. Polonus and other firms also run buslines from Warsaw to Tarnów (journey time 6hrs - 6hrs 40mins).

As of Summer 2023, Tarnów has no proper bus station. As a result, travel times on bus journeys vary greatly, as does the potential final stop. While many intercity buses stop near the Tarnów train station at 'Do Huty Park & Ride' - where a new station is planned in the future, some buses from Kraków may also stop 1.5km to the west at the 'Kochanowskiego 03 - Chyszowska' bus stop. Buses using the A4 highway typically stop at the 'Jana Pawła II 06 - Os. Westerplatte' bus stop in the northern part of town not far from the Gemini Park shopping mall, but may continue closer to the Old Town afterwards. Make sure you check all the stops on your particular line to determine where you should get off.