Does anyone know why there appear to be no direct bus services between Mar del Plata and Bahia Blanca? Current LP guidebook and posts earlier this year suggest that there were several services a day but searches of various bus transport websites and individual bus company sites come up with no results.
As far as I know there are no direct buses, you have to connect in Tandil.
Ask yourself: why would there be buses between these two places? There just would be little demand, even in the summer.

El Rapido departs from Mar del Plata every day at 06:00, 13:00, 15:00, 22:30 and 00:30. The 00:30 service is the most expensive at 573 pesos because it does not have any stop. The rest is semicama and costs 510 pesos.

This information was given to me by the company. Phone numbers: 0291-4820238 in Bahia Blanca and 0810-2223030 which is the number on their website.

Another case which is not on line is buses from Puerto Iguazu to Salta. In spite of this Flechabus and Andesmar buses run every day.
Probably because, in both cases, you have to make connections somewhere, for Mar del Plata to Bahia Blanca in Tandil or Necochea, and for Puerto Iguazu to Salta, in Posadas, Corrientes or Resitencia. There are some tricks to using the various bus websites, and on e has to read between the lines. They say they do the route, but there are no direct (same) bus routes.
