The wheels fell off his vehicle on an traffic packed motorway.
Tourists in the bus were travelling south bound between Ennis and Shannon at 5:30pm when the wheels unattached from the vehicle
The inside wheels separated from the axle and the driver had to think fast to avoid an accident.
He managed to steer the bus into the slow lane near Dromoland, Co Clare.
The passengers were evacuated from the bus and a replacement bus was soon on the scene.
Gardaí directed oncoming traffic away from the bus, which was at a halt on the side of the road, still protruding on to the busy road.
The tourists were taken to Bunratty by a driver passing by with an empty bus.
Transport Infrastucture Ireland (TII) maintenance crews helped to maintain order and removed debris from the road.
A thorough investigation is being carried out on the vehicle in question by forensic teams.