Adelaide's public transport fares among highest in Australia

For many residents in Adelaide, public transport is a lifeline that enables them to access essential services, education, and employment opportunities. However, a closer look at the city's public transport fares reveals that some trips can be more expensive in Adelaide than anywhere else in the country.

"Public transport is the only way that I can access things like engagement with employment opportunities, education, culture, public events and health appointments," Ann-Maree Anderson said.

Ms Anderson, a university graduate and volunteer for poverty outreach groups, rents in Mount Barker, an Adelaide Hills town about 30km south-east of the CBD. She relies on public transport as she does not own a car, citing the high costs of maintaining a vehicle.

"I can drive and I do have a licence, but I do not have a car. Keeping a car maintained at the moment, and running it, is out of my budget," she said.

Analysis shows high expenses in Adelaide

Governments across Australia have introduced measures to reduce public transport fares, with Tasmania offering free public bus travel and the NT government providing free buses for several years. Queensland's government recently legislated a universal 50c fare.

The SA government pointed to three measures introduced this year to address cost-of-living pressures, including slashing the cost of 28-day student passes and expanding the Seniors Card.

"By slashing the cost of 28-day student passes and expanding the Seniors Card, millions of more dollars have stayed in the pockets of South Australians," a government spokesperson said.

"The government also put a three-month pause on annual increases for MetroCARD public transport fares to provide cost-of-living respite for commuters during the early impacts of the conflict in the Middle East."

An analysis of single fares shows Adelaide commuters, including those like Ms Anderson, are currently paying the second-highest fares in the country, behind Sydney. For short trips, Adelaide's fare prices are comparatively the most expensive in Australia.

Fare reductions can get people on board, sometimes

Transport strategist Elliot Fishman, director of the Institute for Sensible Transport, said public transport provided a practical means to reduce household spending and the need for more than one car.

"For the increase in patronage, it was more effective for the government to reduce and eliminate the fares than it would have been to provide an increase in the quality of the service to try and get the same boost," Dr Fishman said.

Dr Fishman believes that fare reductions in Adelaide may not have the same impact as fare-cutting initiatives in Melbourne.

"The Melbourne experience may not be entirely replicated in Adelaide because we're dealing with a different level of service quality," Dr Fishman said.

"So, I think the most important thing is to have a high quality service and what does that mean? It means a frequent service, a service that covers a large proportion of the population and that is relatively time competitive with the car."

Cheaper options have been proposed, but no change on the horizon

The Royal Automobile Association of SA (RAA) proposed several measures, including a reduced rate 12-trip ticket and digitised MetroCards.

"At the last state election, RAA recommended a new 12-trip Adelaide Metro fare for $36, which would help regular users reduce travel costs more than the current 14-day pass does, considering many commuters now work from home on some days of the week," a spokesperson said.

The state government said its cost measures were "always measured against the broader budget impact, and the government has no plans to provide additional subsidies at this time".

"We've got a much smaller population than other jurisdictions and we rely very heavily on our bus network, and our bus network is doing a lot of the heavy lifting," Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said.

"Despite the cost [of fares], every dollar we get goes back into the system, which gives us more security, allows us to upgrade our buses, our trains and our trams."

For Ms Anderson, the concern is that high prices and fares may restrict people like her from accessing essential services and social activities.

"People need to be able to access friends, family, health appointments, mental health appointments, free cultural events in the city. We have these so that we can all join together as a community," she said.

"To have a percentage of the population … not be able to access things that they need to maintain a basic level of health and social interaction does bring into question again, what is the purpose of our public transport system if not to facilitate our movement?"