Are there any buses on route F26 in 2023?

Question

Are there in 2023 any buses on Route F26 Sprengisandsleið (Sprengisandur Route) via Hrauneyjar, Nýidalur, and Goðafoss to Mývatn? An old tripadvisor post from 2019 suggests there is one bus per week run by Reykjavík Excursions, but their website mentions only Skógar, Landmannalaugar, and Þórsmörk (i.e. for the Fimmvörðuhals and Laugavegur trails where 99% of hikers appear to be heading). It seems Gray Line still run highland buses on the Kjölur Route 35 at least as far as Hveravellir, but they don't run buses to Nýidalur.

I found a map on nat.is which indicates a bus route on the Sprengisandur route, but the map is from 2011 and doesn't indicate specific operators:

Source: nat.is

It's difficult to find an overview because there are so many different bus operators such as Reykjavík Excursions, Gray Line, Trex, and others. Are there any buses on the Sprengisandur Route F26 in 2023?

Answer 1

It's hard to prove a negative, but I believe the answer here is no: Reykjavík Excursions, which operated this route in previous years, has published its summer 2023 highland bus schedules and does not show any trips along the Sprengisandsleið. A check of several other potential operators does not show anybody picking up the slack. Nat.is, which publishes the map above, does not list a current operator for the route on its highland & interior buses page either.

It remains possible that there is some operator with bad SEO currently planning to offer the route, or that RE or another operator adds the route to its plans as the summer approaches, but, for now, I would not remain optimistic about the possibility to travel the Sprengisandsleið without renting and being prepared to drive your own 4x4 vehicle, or possibly getting in touch with one of the smaller operators in the region and putting together a custom tour, presumably at relatively high cost.