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To serve the needs of going around the metropolitan area for international students or other people, Adelaide has a system as good as the systems in other major cities in Australia. The public transportation in Adelaide for international students is enough for daily activities. Here is the detail.
Related: Parklands, Universities, and 7 Facts About Adelaide in Australia
Common Public Transportation Options for International Students in Adelaide
In the capital of South Australia, Adelaide Metro is running the public transportation for the city. The offered public transportation are train, bus, and tram services, which serve around 80 million journeys per year. Here are the three commonly used public transportation for people including international students.
Train
There are four train routes in Adelaide, along with two smaller ones supporting them, centered at Adelaide railway station to connect the city with the surrounding suburbs. With those routes, you can use a train to go to places like the University of South Australia Mawson Lakes Campus, Port Adelaide, and Belair National Park.
Bus
In Adelaide, more people use buses than other modes of public transportation simply because buses can cover areas where trains and trams do not have tracks to go there. Hundreds of bus routes are available in the CBD and surrounding suburbs with a huge amount of bus stops, so you can go almost anywhere with buses in Adelaide.
There is also a unique bus service called the O-Bahn. It is the fastest and the longest guided busway in the world connecting Modbury and the Adelaide CBD. As no trains are heading toward the northeastern part of Adelaide, the O-Bahn is the greatest replacement for it.
Tram
The only remaining tram route in Adelaide is the Glenelg tram line connecting Glenelg Beach with the CBD at Victoria Square. However, the line has been extended to reach some important places in the city, so you can use trams to hop between Adelaide Botanic Garden, near the University of Adelaide, and Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
As the three modes of public transportation are under the umbrella of Adelaide Metro, the fares are not different from each other. The price is also the same no matter how long you go, which is $6.20 regular and $3.10 concession for a single trip and $11.70 regular and $5.90 concession for a day trip.
Tips on How to Save Money on Public Transportation in Adelaide as an International Student
Some may think the fares for public transportation in Adelaide for international students are pricey. Because of that, these tips are important for you to reduce your expenses for public transportation.
Use a metroCARD
Being a student means you have to live in Adelaide for a long time, so it is better that you create a metroCARD to use the Adelaide Metro. With this card, you will pay cheaper fares, which are $4.25 per trip with a regular card, and $2.05 per trip with a concession card.
Other than that, you can also have 14 or 28 passes for long-term use of the Adelaide Metro with a metroCARD. You can purchase the card at Adelaide railway station and top it up online or at some agents.
Use Free Transportation Services
Forget metroCARD or any other forms of payment if you just plan to travel around the Adelaide CBD as the city offers free transportation services in certain areas. Those free services are city buses and city trams.
The free city buses are the ones looping around the CBD and North Adelaide, passing several education, attraction, and shopping places in the city. Whereas the city tram going along the extended routes around the CBD mentioned above is completely free to use.
Choose Accommodation Near Your Campus
Living closely to where you study can save your money as you do not have to take public transportation all the time. Despite that, public transportation is still useful to go to some places where it is too far for a walk.
Related: Australian Accommodation Tips: Only for International Students!
4. Travel Off-Peak Hours
The peak travel hours in Adelaide are Monday to Friday before 9.00 AM and after 3.00 PM as well as any time on Saturday. On the other hand, the off-peak travel hours are any time outside them including on Sundays and public holidays.
Since you are an international student, you probably have more flexible travel times than other people. Therefore, you should consider using public transportation outside of the peak hours. Other than will you save around half of your travel expenses, you will also travel with less crowded trains, buses, or trams.
Thanks to the public transportation in Adelaide for international students, going around the metropolitan area of Adelaide is fairly easy.