Cheaper fares get an A+ from school students

Students have overwhelmingly embraced cheaper student 28-day fares with close to 100,000 extra validations recorded in the first month alone.

Since the 28-day pass was slashed from $28.60 to $10 on 1 July 2025, it has become a popular option for students looking for a cheaper commute.

Adelaide Metro recorded a 50 per cent increase in validations during July compared to the same time last year, with more than 276,000 students tapping on – an additional 93,191 trips.

The reduced fare has been a big win for primary and high school students who can now travel to and from school for as little as 25 cents per trip.

And accessing the fare will soon be made even easier, with 14 and 28-day passes set to be added to the Adelaide Metro Buy & Go app. Previously only available on metroCARD, the passes offer 14 and 28 consecutive days of unlimited travel.

The update, which will go live soon, will help ensure that public transport remains a convenient and cost-effective option for the whole community.

Since Adelaide Metro Buy & Go launched last year, students have become the main user group, opting to buy their tickets on their smartphone. In June 2025, Student Singletrip tickets represented 29 per cent of all ticket types purchased on the app, a major vote of confidence for the new digital ticketing option.

The Adelaide Metro Buy & Go app is free to download and allows customers to choose from a range of ticket types including Regular, Concession, and Student Singletrips, Daytrips and 3-Day Visitor Passes.

To save time, customers can pre-purchase and store their Buy & Go tickets in the app’s digital wallet and use them when they are ready. Stored tickets that are not used will expire after 12 months.

When customers are ready to board their Adelaide Metro bus or tram, they simply activate their ticket and validate the QR code on a smart validator.

Inspectors can check a customer has validated by scanning the QR code.

Commuters can download the app for free on any compatible Android and iOS device.

Buy & Go tickets and passes can currently be used on all Adelaide Metro buses and trams and trains departing from the Adelaide Railway Station. It will soon be available on all trains.

For more information on fares and tickets, please visit www.adelaidemetro.com.au.

Quotes

Attributable to Tom Koutsantonis

I have been blown away by how many students have embraced the discounted 28-day pass with close to 100,000 extra validations being made in the first month alone.

Students catching the bus, train or tram to and from school each day are paying the equivalent of just 25 cents a trip, saving families up to $242 per year, per child.

At a time when every cent counts, I am glad to see that people are making the most of this reduced pass and I hope to see an even bigger uptake when it becomes available on the Adelaide Metro Buy & Go app.

Expanding the 14-day and 28-day pass to the ticketing app is the next logical step in helping ensure that public transport remains a convenient and cost-effective option for the whole community.

Attributable to Adelaide Metro spokesperson Michelle Spagnoletti

Adelaide Metro is all about making public transport accessible to everyone, and this is just another way we are helping to do that, by offering cheap, convenient, and easy travel.

Affordable travel with Adelaide Metro will become even easier, with 14 and 28-day passes becoming available on the Adelaide Metro Buy & Go app.

With so many students currently using the app, we are expecting an even bigger uptake of the discounted student 28-day pass, helping provide some much-needed relief to the hip pocket.

Attributable to Member for Adelaide Lucy Hood

It’s fantastic to see families and young people taking up the option to use the 28-day Student Metrocard at this reduced fare so enthusiastically.

Combined with our introduction of free travel for Seniors Card holders, we are ensuring more people who rely on public transport can access it even more easily.