Lt Col Thanyapisit Muangchan of the Thalang Police was informed of the accident at 11:40pm.
Police, rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation and a medical team from Vachira Phuket Hospital arrived at the scene, near the entrance to the Tawan Place housing estate in Moo 4, Srisoonthorn, to find the heavily Honda Wave motorbike damaged motorbike in the right-hand lane of the divided road.
Nearby was the body of Chakrapop Thuaisiri, 53, who was described as a well-known artist who painted for a resort in Cherng Talay.
Pulled over by the side of the road was the tour bus, marked as part of the company Go Go Bus Co Ltd, with evidence of the impact on its front right corner and a cracked windscreen in the same area of the bus.
Bus driver Sitthichai Phuhat, 44, told police he had picked up 10 tourists from Phuket FantaSea and was returning them to their hotel when the accident happened.
At the time of the collision, it was raining and the road was slippery, Mr Sitthichai said.
He was driving along when he saw the Honda Wave motorbike coming at him close to the right lane.
He was unable to avoid colliding with the motorbike, Mr Sitthichai said.
Thalang Police said they were continuing their investigation into the accident.
According to national road safety agency ThaiRSC, 94 people have been killed and 13,534 people have been hospitalised for injuries from road accidents in Phuket so far this year.