Adelaide Metro Bus Timetable Changes From 12 October 2026: O-Bahn 506, Unley Road, Hills Routes and School Buses (Adelaide, SA)

Adelaide Metro updated 68 bus timetables from Monday 12 October 2026, and the changes include shortened O-Bahn trips on route 506, swapped Unley Road trips on route 190 and renumbered or merged Adelaide Hills routes. Adelaide Metro says the updates cover services in peak and off-peak times, and aim to improve reliability, connections and frequency.

Adelaide Metro’s news item of 14 October 2026 lists the routes in four groups: the O-Bahn, Unley Road, the Adelaide Hills and school buses. This guide goes through each group as the news item describes it, as checked on Monday 19 October 2026. The changes took effect on 12 October, so they are in force now.

What changes on the O-Bahn?

The only O-Bahn route named in the news item is the 506. Some 506 services from the city to Tea Tree Plaza via the O-Bahn are shortened, and run between Paradise Interchange and Tea Tree Plaza via Para Hills instead. The shortened trips are:

• 11 morning peak services departing the city.
• 9 afternoon peak services departing from Tea Tree Plaza.

Adelaide Metro says this affects passengers travelling against peak-hour traffic. If you ride the 506 into the city in the morning or out to Tea Tree Plaza in the afternoon, check the trip you use on the route 506 page.

What changes on Unley Road?

Four routes are involved: the 190, 195F, 196F and 197X. Some 190 services are replaced by 195 and 196 services. That covers 10 services between 8:00am and 3:00pm from Mitcham Shopping Centre to the city, and 11 services between 8:30am and 3:15pm from the city to Mitcham Shopping Centre. The 197X from Coromandel Station to the city is modified to operate as an all-stops service.

What changes in the Adelaide Hills?

Most of the changes are in the Hills. The news item describes renumbering, merging and extra services, summarised here:

Route	What changes
T801	The T801 from Mt Barker to the city replaces the 860F, creating a simpler city service
T863	Selected T863 services from Aldgate to the city are extended to Mt Barker and renumbered T801, adding T801 and 801 services along Glen Osmond Road and services to Verdun, Hahndorf and Mt Barker
823	An extra service between Crafers and Cleland Wildlife Park, on weekdays and weekends
834 and 835	The 834 from Verdun to Lobethal runs hourly on weekdays, with 5 new services in each direction on weekends. The 835 is shortened to Lobethal to Verdun and renumbered 834
834A and 835A	Renumbered 834 and 835; one 834A continues between Lobethal and Verdun via Charleston
865, 865C, 865S, 866, 866A, 866R	Consolidated into a single 866 route between Aldgate, Heathfield, Stirling, Stirling East and Crafers, with more off-peak and weekend services
861	Additional services along Glen Osmond Road
894 and 894H	The 894 from Aldgate to Blackwood Interchange is shortened to start and finish at Crafers Park ‘n’ Ride. 14 additional 894 services run on weekdays; 894H services continue to Heathfield High School
830F and 841F	The 830F from Lobethal becomes the T830 and the 841F from Nairne becomes the T841
T800 and T842	The T842 from Nairne to the city via Mt Barker is replaced by the T841, and an extra T800 runs in the morning peak
839R	Three night 839R services with a detour-on-request option are replaced by 839 services
820	One additional morning peak service from Burnside to the city via Greenhill Road
837	Extra time added to the Nairne to Mt Barker timetable to improve reliability

Do I have to change buses on the shortened routes?

Sometimes. Adelaide Metro says customers on the shortened 835 service, now numbered 834, can continue to Mt Barker or the city by transferring to a T801 or 801 service in Verdun. A morning and evening service still runs between Lobethal and Mt Barker. Customers on the shortened 894 can continue to Mt Barker or the city by transferring to a T800, T801 or 801 service in Crafers.

The T services stop at four Glen Osmond Road stops where passengers can board and get off: Stop 1, Stop 5, Stop 8 and Stop 13.

Which school bus services changed?

• The 874 from Oakbank School to Lobethal is replaced by the 834 route from Verdun to Lobethal.
• The 878 from Nairne and the 879 from Woodside, both to Heathfield High School, run with one articulated bus instead of two, because of reduced demand.
• The 882 from Mt Barker to Concordia College and the 888 from Concordia College to Verdun have weekday timetables aligned with school bell times.
• The 883 morning service from Aldgate to Mitcham Girls High School and the 887 evening service from Mt Barker to Mercedes College are extended to Scotch College, in response to community feedback.
• The 655 from St Michael’s College to Port Adelaide travels via Carnarvon Terrace and Fletcher Road, in response to community feedback.
• The 621 from Paradise Interchange to Morialta Secondary College has timing changes so that it arrives at Morialta slightly earlier.
• The route 400 service leaving Elizabeth Interchange at 8:11am no longer detours via Salisbury High School.

Does the change affect airport buses?

Adelaide Metro’s disruptions list carries a “Bus Timetable Changes – from Monday 12 October 2026” notice naming a much longer set of route numbers than the routes described in the news item. As of 18 October it included the J1, J1A, J1G, J1T, J2, J2G, J7, J7M and J8, the airport routes. Our Adelaide Airport to the city guide explains those routes, their fares and how to pay.

Why did Adelaide Metro change the timetables?

Adelaide Metro says the updates apply to peak and off-peak services and support three aims: improved service reliability, easier connections between services and improved frequency. It says the changes better align services with actual passenger demand, journey patterns and travel times between stops, and that timetables are being updated to reflect actual travel times.

Which riders does this affect?

• Riders of the 506 who travel against the peak: the shortened trips are the 11 morning departures from the city and the 9 afternoon departures from Tea Tree Plaza.
• Riders between Mitcham Shopping Centre and the city on weekdays, where some 190 trips become 195 or 196 trips between 8:00am and 3:15pm.
• Hills commuters on the 835, 865, 866, 894, T842, T863, 830F or 841F, whose route number or end point changed.
• Students on the 874, 878, 879, 882, 883, 887, 888, 621, 655 and 400, whose school services were adjusted.
• Night riders on the 839R, whose detour-on-request trips are replaced by regular 839 services.

How do I check my bus?

• Open your route’s page on the Adelaide Metro website, which shows a timetable by date of travel.
• Use the Adelaide Metro journey planner for a trip you make regularly.
• Subscribe to Adelaide Metro’s SMS or email alerts for your bus, train or tram service.
• Call the Adelaide Metro InfoLine on 1300 311 108, 7:00am to 8:00pm daily.

Adelaide Metro says it will continue to monitor the performance of these changes and make sure timetables reflect actual running times, so a trip can change again.

Sources

• Adelaide Metro — Bus timetable updates are coming this October (14 October 2026; checked 19 October 2026)
• Adelaide Metro — Service disruptions (Bus Timetable Changes from Monday 12 October 2026; checked 18 October 2026)

Featured image: Northeast Busway near Paradise Interchange (photo: RegionVisitor90 / CC BY 4.0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Adelaide Metro. Timetables can change; check the official pages above before you travel.