Ride the O-Bahn with Kids | A Fun & Affordable Adelaide Adventure

Ride the O-Bahn busway – a fun, economical and unique way to travel in Adelaide.

Article by Claire Davill

Catching a bus is a fun way to explore your city, but catching an O-Bahn bus gives you a unique experience here in Adelaide, which is lots of fun. Only four places in the world have guided busway systems like the O-Bahn, and Adelaide is the only place in Australia that you can experience this.

What is the O’Bahn?

Catching the O’Bahn is like riding a bus and a train at the same time. Once the bus guide wheels are locked into the concrete tracks, there’s no steering needed, and no traffic to contend with. This means the bus can travel at much faster speeds – up to 100km an hour! An additional bonus is that much of the busway follows the Torrens Linear Park Trail, meaning there’s great scenery along the way. Add in a tunnel at the city end, and interesting stops along the way, and you can have a fun couple of hours out for the price of a single bus ticket.

Where can you ride the O’Bahn in Adelaide?

You can catch an O-Bahn bus at one of the three interchanges, or from the Adelaide CBD. We recommend starting your journey from Klemzig or Paradise bus interchanges, as there’s ample free parking at each interchange, especially if you are traveling on weekends.

In the city, the easiest place to catch the bus is from stop F2 on Grenfell Street. This stop services most O-Bahn buses and is located just in front of City Cross Arcade, an easy walk from Rundle Mall.

O-Bahn buses are numbered starting with a 5 (e.g. 503, 507, 540, 557), and the Jetbus (J1, J1A, J2) to Adelaide Airport, M44 (to Marion) and G40 (to Flinders University) buses also travel along the busway. On weekdays, you’ll have buses arriving every few minutes, and even on weekends and public holidays, you’ll only need to wait about 10 minutes maximum.

O-Bahn buses use the Adelaide Metro fare system, which means if you already have a Metrocard, you can use these. Buses also accept tap and go on credit cards. You can board O-Bahn buses from any door, there will be machines to tap your card at each door.

We recommend sitting near the front of the bus if possible. Most buses have room for strollers near the front, and you’ll get a better view of the busway tracks in front of you.

Remember that in Adelaide, there is no need to “tap off” when you exit the bus. You can board as many different buses as you like within two hours of your first boarding for the price of one ticket. You will still need to validate your card at each boarding, but you won’t be charged any extra. We have found that it’s possible to travel the entire busway in both directions, with a stop for some shopping or a meal in the city, or a stop at a playground, within the two hour time limit.

Where to stop and explore

We love stopping in the city to explore Rundle Mall (make sure to pat the pigs), and visit Blackeby’s Sweets in James Place, which is worth a stop to look at the amazing window display, even if you don’t go inside.

If you stop at Klemzig interchange, the fully fenced and fully shaded Riverview Playground in Felixstow is just across the river. Walk east along the Torrens Linear Park to the small footbridge to access the playground.

Similarly, if you stop at Paradise interchange, you can walk under Darley Road on a pedestrian path to reach Paradise Recreation Plaza playground.

At Tea Tree Plaza interchange, you’re just a short walk from Westfield Tea Tree Plaza, with hundreds of shops, restaurants, cafes and a cinema.

How much does it cost to ride the O’Bahn?

At the time of writing (October 2026), a 2 hour ticket costs $4.75 for adults (peak times) or $2.70 (off-peak) and $1.65 for students (peak times) or $1.35 (off-peak). We highly recommend planning your trip for off-peak times (between 9am and 3pm on weekdays and all day Sunday and public holidays), as the buses are less crowded on these days, and the fares are significantly cheaper. Children under 5 ride for free!

For up to date fare information, please check the Adelaide Metro website.

What we like about a trip on the O-Bahn:

• It’s a cheap outing, especially if you travel at off-peak times.
• It’s a unique way to travel, with great views as you speed along the busway.
• There’s playgrounds and other attractions along the route if you want to stop and look around.

Things to consider:

• Make sure you have the means to pay for separate tickets, either Metrocards or credit/debit cards. Remember that children under 5 years old do not have to pay. Buses in Adelaide do not accept cash.
• There are machines to top up your balance on Metrocards at each of the interchanges.
• Make sure to let other passengers disembark before entering the bus.
• The bus travels at high speeds on the busway, and while sudden stops are extremely rare, children should still be seated during the trip for safety.
• Accessibility – all buses, trains and trams have boarding ramps which can be used if needed. To get on a bus, wait until the driver sets up the ramp for you.

Locations:

• City | Stop F2, Grenfell Street, Adelaide
• Klemzig Interchange | OG Road Klemzig
• Paradise Interchange | Darley Road Paradise
• Tea Tree Plaza Interchange | Smart Road, Modbury

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Adelaide Metro website.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go (2026).

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