Albania to/from North Macedonia buses/coaches

[zero]

Looking for a way to get between Skopje and Tirana

I know Ohrid is supposed to be a nice place to visit, but I plan to go there on a future trip anyway so I don't necessarily have to go this time.

The direct buses seem to take 6-7 hours but they either take all day which is a waste of time, or they go overnight, which I feel is less safe, plus I don't want to cross the border at midnight nor do I want to arrive at 4am.

Going via Ohrid on separate tickets seems actually involve less time on the bus, but not sure if the scheduled arrival times are based on reality?

There are frequent buses between Skopje and Ohrid throughout the day which sound like they should be more reliable. However between Ohrid and Tirana there are only a few departures and towards Albania they seem to all be in the very early morning (necessitating a hotel stay in Ohrid), while from Albania they all go in the afternoon? Is it not possible to go at any other time of day without hiring a taxi?

Also do these buses sell out, as I would prefer to buy a physical ticket in person either just before, or the day before, travel rather than committing to a particular itinerary online.

 

[dutchflyer]

Have done that-yes, by bus, what else, the other way some years ago. So I assume it may all have changed-a little or a lot.
Came into ALB (only purpose to visit a for me as of then yet unvisited EUropean country-after that came Moldova and even 1 night in Byelorus) on the overnight train Beograd-Bar and the then 2/daily red minibus to somewhere in North ALB-staff knew it all and put me down at a junction where indeed not that much later a dolmush/van passed by bound for Tirana. These details then came from that trusty old travellers forum run by LP=Lonely Planet, which sadly has died. Did the-if possible- obligatory train trip-return Tirana-Dürres, vandalised ex DB 2nd hand coaches. So now I can say ´I´ve done it all!´
In Tirana at some travel agent bought a ticket for a bus (coach for GB) toward (I think, as I remember) Skopje which again put me down at some first Macedonia town-had to first get local money- to find a normal bus to reach Ohrid. Stayed there-nice place on the lake-and then went Bitola-train to Skopje-at that time there even still was an overnight to Beograd.
So: suggest: google for Skopje busstation and see what this delivers for departures. Or try what dr google always spits out by such questions: rome2rio, busbud and some others. Better not book via those, but it may give an overview of what is available. I guess that green FLIX has not reached those areas yet?
What I also quite well remember is/was the great nr of direct buses ALB-Greece-at that time many Albanians had found that work in GReece was relatively well paid and even fairly easy to find.
In the past there was also a not very well known but quite handy collect site: busstation.net, run by (if I remember well) Steve Annells and that listed all known and passed on sites that go about buses in whatever form. Often could deliver quite obscure sites that even that dr. google does not spit out-or perhaps only in strange local languages.
It seems like a bit funny but growing belief by travellers that in faraway countries buses (and even more trains) tend to sell out/get fully booked monthes ahead. This is of course utter nonsense-simply assume it will not be that much different as it goes in GB. And there usually is not any discount/advantage in booking far ahead. But I assume youre experienced enough to realise there never ever can be a 100% garantee.