At a glance
- Regular fare
- $4.75 peak, $2.70 off-peak, valid for two hours on any bus, train or tram
- Since
- Thursday 1 October 2026, an increase of about 3.3 per cent
- Day pass
- Daytrip $12.90; 3-Day Visitor Pass $29.90
- Off-peak
- 9:01am to 2:59pm Monday to Friday, 4:00am to midnight Sunday, and all day on public holidays
- Cash on buses
- Not accepted; buses are cashless and you cannot buy tickets on board
- Ways to pay
- metroCARD, Tap and Pay with a Visa, Mastercard or American Express card or device, or the Buy & Go app
- Help
- Adelaide Metro InfoLine 1300 311 108, 7:00am to 8:00pm daily
A regular Adelaide Metro fare costs $4.75 at peak times or $2.70 off-peak, as of 20 October 2026, and the same fare covers buses, trains and trams for two hours of travel at any distance. New fares have applied since Thursday 1 October 2026, an increase of about 3.3 per cent, in line with the consumer price index.
Adelaide Metro’s announcement says that earlier this year the Government put a pause on annual increases to provide cost of living relief for South Australian commuters, due to uncertainty in the international fuel market. The prices below come from the Adelaide Metro fares page and the fare change announcement of 11 September 2026.
What do Adelaide Metro fares cost from 1 October 2026?
| Ticket | Peak | Off-peak |
|---|---|---|
| Regular metroCARD, Tap and Pay, Buy & Go Singletrip | $4.75 | $2.70 |
| Singletrip (see the card fee note below) | $6.80 | $4.50 |
| Daytrip | $12.90 | |
| 3-Day Visitor Pass | $29.90 | |
| Regular 14-Day Pass | $74.20 | |
| Regular 28-Day Pass | $123.00 | |
| Concession metroCARD | $2.35 | $1.35 |
| Concession Daytrip | $6.50 | |
| Concession 14-Day Pass | $37.00 | |
| Concession 28-Day Pass | $61.60 | |
| Student metroCARD | $1.65 | $1.35 |
| Student Daytrip | $6.50 | |
| Student 28-Day Pass | $10.30 | |
Adelaide Metro adds that a card fee may apply if you need a Daytrip or Singletrip and you do not already have a metroCARD. Concession and student Singletrip prices are not listed in the table because Adelaide Metro’s fare page and its announcement label them differently; check the fare page for your fare. South Australian Seniors Card holders still travel free on public transport, and the Buy & Go page says children under 5 travelling with an adult also travel free.
When is peak and when is off-peak?
- Peak: before 9:00am and from 3:00pm Monday to Friday, all day Saturday, and services until 4:00am on Sunday, which count as Saturday services.
- Off-peak: 9:01am to 2:59pm Monday to Friday, 4:00am to midnight on Sunday, and all day on public holidays.
On the Buy & Go app you can only buy and use off-peak tickets during off-peak times.
Can I pay cash on an Adelaide Metro bus?
No. Adelaide Metro says its buses are cashless and you cannot purchase tickets on board. To pay with cash, buy a metroCARD in person and either recharge it or load it with a Singletrip ticket. Otherwise, use the Buy & Go app or Tap and Pay with your Visa, Mastercard or American Express credit or debit card or smart device.
How does a metroCARD work?
A metroCARD is a rechargeable plastic card for buses, trains and trams. Tap it each time you board, or go through barrier gates at a train station. You do not need to validate it when you leave a vehicle.
- Card price: $5 for a regular metroCARD, $3.50 for a concession or student metroCARD.
- Minimum credit: regular, concession and student cards need at least $5 loaded before use.
- Recharge: in blocks of $5 to $10 up to $200.
- Instant top-up: at a metroCARD retailer, the InfoCentre in the Adelaide Railway Station, or an Adelaide Metro vending machine.
- Remote top-up: online or through the InfoLine on 1300 311 108, before 7:00pm on the day you travel if you need it within one hour. After 7:00pm, funds may not be available until the next day.
- Validity: you need to validate the card within 3 months of buying a recharge.
Auto recharge tops up a card from a Visa, Mastercard or American Express card when the balance drops below $5 on a regular card, or below $3 on a student, concession or Seniors Card metroCARD. You can set it up online, in person at the InfoCentre or by calling the InfoLine. The validator flashes green and yellow lights when an automatic recharge has worked.
Only registered metroCARDs can be tracked, cancelled or replaced. If an unregistered card is lost or damaged, any remaining funds cannot be moved to a new card. metroCARDs are non-refundable, with exceptions for South Australian Seniors Card holders and authorised representatives of a deceased registered cardholder.
How does Tap and Pay work?
Tap or hold a Visa, Mastercard or American Express card, or an enabled phone or device, on the lower part of a smart validator. A beep and a confirmation message show the ticket is validated. You do not need to tap again when you leave. Tap and Pay is charged as a regular fare and is valid for 2 hours from the time you tap, on all buses, trains and trams.
- Transfers: use the same card or device within the two hours. A different card or device, even one linked to the same bank account, may be charged for a new ticket.
- One ticket at a time: you can hold only one Tap and Pay ticket per card or device.
- Bank statement: you are charged one total per day, listed as “Adelaide Metro Tap”, and you may see a $1 pending transaction that returns to your balance once the payment clears.
- Inspectors: show the same card or device you tapped. The inspector’s reader cannot take payments or see your account.
- If a tap shows DENY: a previous payment has failed. The system tries to clear the debt for up to 7 days; you can use another card or device, a metroCARD or Buy & Go in the meantime.
Adelaide Metro says Tap and Pay may not be the best option if you are entitled to a concession or student fare, since the Buy & Go app carries the full range of tickets and passes.
How does the Buy & Go app work?
Buy & Go is Adelaide Metro’s ticketing app, with the full range of tickets and passes in all fare types. It runs on iOS 13 and above or Android 8 and above, and you can download it and set up an account before you travel to Adelaide.
- Buy your ticket and check it before you confirm. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, and unused tickets expire after 12 months.
- Activate the ticket as your vehicle arrives. Its journey time starts counting down when you activate it.
- Hold your phone over the validator’s payment panel with the QR code facing up, and wait for the beep.
You can buy up to 10 tickets of the same type and store up to 100. You can activate up to five tickets at once, or batch up to five regular, concession and student tickets of the same type and travel time into one QR code for a group. The person holding the batched ticket has to stay with the group for the whole trip, and a 14-Day or 28-Day Pass cannot go into a batch.
| Buy & Go ticket | Expires after activation |
|---|---|
| Singletrip | 2 hours |
| Daytrip | 1 day, up until 4:00am the following day |
| 3-Day Visitor Pass | 3 consecutive days, up until 4:00am the following day |
| 14-Day Pass | 14 consecutive days, up until 4:00am the following day |
| 28-Day Pass | 28 consecutive days, up until 4:00am the following day |
Which payment method should I choose?
- Visiting, a few trips: Tap and Pay, which Adelaide Metro describes as an easy option if you do not have a metroCARD and are not using public transport often.
- Visiting for several days: a Daytrip or 3-Day Visitor Pass, bought through Buy & Go or loaded on a metroCARD.
- Concession, student or a group: Buy & Go.
- Paying with cash: a metroCARD bought in person.
- Using the Tea Tree Plaza Park ‘n’ Ride discount: a metroCARD, SA Seniors Card or Tap and Pay ticket. Adelaide Metro says the discount is not available with Buy & Go tickets.
For the airport, all Adelaide Metro buses accept metroCARDs, Tap and Pay and Buy & Go tickets. Our Adelaide Airport to the city guide covers the J1 and J2 buses. In the city centre, Adelaide Metro runs free connector buses, routes 98A, 98C, 99A and 99C, and trams are free in the CBD and between selected stops in Glenelg.
Sources
- Adelaide Metro — Fares (checked 18 and 20 October 2026)
- Adelaide Metro — Public transport fares are changing this October (11 September 2026)
- Adelaide Metro — metroCARD (checked 20 October 2026)
- Adelaide Metro — Tap and Pay (checked 19 October 2026)
- Adelaide Metro — Buy & Go (checked 19 October 2026)
- Adelaide Metro — Adelaide Airport bus
Featured image: A-City 4000 train at Flinders station (photo: Alison Newman / CC0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Adelaide Metro. Fares and conditions can change; check the Adelaide Metro pages above before you travel.