photo(s) (AUS) Adelaide Metro: Buses

[Pakenhamtrain]

In this final part we get to the biggest. The Adelaide bus system. 270 bus routes and over a 1000 buses make up the Adelaide system that connects the city to the suburbs and Adelaide Hills.

 

Bus routes include a wide variety of all stops, limited stops, express, RoamZone, and the MAC footy express. Routes are numbered around the area they service and what they do.

 

It also home to the O-bahn. A 12km long guided busway to Tea tree Plaza. Built in 1986 it replaced an earlier tram extension plan and is capable of moving 18,000 passengers every hour.

 

Buses while originally government operated through the STA, SAR and MTT it was partially tendered out in 1995 before private operators won the  tenders in 2000s.

Currently 3 operators are contracted to run Adelaide buses:
Torrens Transit. Operating the East-West contract area

SouthLink. Operating the Hills, Outer South & Outer North contract areas.

Light-City Buses. Operating the North-South & Outer North East contract areas.

 

Buses in Adelaide are rather modern compared to other cities given there is a 25-30 year rule on buses.

 

Before and after football games at Adelaide Oval extra train, tram and bus services run under the MAC Footy Express banner. Part of this is a network of 28 routes running under an AOxx or an AOXxx route number. King William Rd is closed to traffic and they throw buses at moving a crowd of up to 53,583.

Here is part of the operation after the Port Adelaide v St Kilda game.

Torrens Transit 1770(MAN NL232 CNG/ABM 'CB62A') departs the King William Rd terminus with an AO26 to Glenelg

Torrens Transit 1230(Scania L94UB/Custom Coaches 'CB60A') on North Tce with a route 150 to Osborne.

Torrens Transit 1939(Scania K280UB/Custom Coaches CB80)

Torrens Transit 1765(MAN NL232 CNG/ABM 'CB62A') at stop B2 Pulteney St with a J1A to Adelaide airport. The J series of routes are JetBus services to the Airport. The J1A is a shortworking of the J1.

Torrens Transit 1182(Scania K360UA/Custom Coaches 'CB80') Laying over in Pulteney St.

http://i.imgur.com/eye1THq.jpg

SouthLink 3272(Scania L94UB/Volgren 'CR224L') Drops of passengers at stop W2 Pulteney St with a T843 to the other city of the CBD. The "T" routes are the "Transit Link" routes. Often Limited stops versions of normal routes. T buses only set down and pick up at select stops along the route.

In this case however the T843 a stand alone route with no all stops bus. On the other end of the scale there is an express version of the already limited stops bus with the T721X.

A standard bus stop sign in the CBD. In this case showing routes south at stop W Grote St. Showing two 3 different express buses in the 723F, 723X and T721.

Light-City Buses 1154(Scania K320UA/Custom Coaches 'CB60 Evo II') Pulls out after setting down passengers at Stop T2 Grenfell St on a C1 to the City. Of note is the guide wheels that allow the bus on the O-Bahn.

Torrens Transit 1774(MAN NL232 CNG/ABM 'CB62A')

Torrens Transit 1172(Scania K320UA/Custom Coaches 'CB80') departs stop B2 Pulteney St. With a J1A to Adelaide Airport.

http://i.imgur.com/81OIIcz.jpg

Torrens Transit 270 (MAN 18.280 HOCL-NL/ABM 'CB64A') departs stop B1 Pultney St with a 118 to Port Adelaide.This is one of a number of crosstown routes. In this case This bus has come from Stonyfell or Burnside as a route 141 or 142. As it gets to the edge of the city the route rumber then changes to a 118.

SouthLink 3315 (Scania L94UB 14.5m/Volgren 'CR228L' Sits layed up at Light Square having completed an 864F from Mount Barker. "F" buses are limited stops buses of normal buses but with a difference. How they work is that along the route there is a designated stop where the bus will stop to pick up or set down depending on the direction.

In the 864Fs case the Citybound stop is stop 13. From this stop the bus will stop picking up passengers but will set down at any stop. The outbound stop is stop 14. Until this stop buses will not let passengers off but will pick them up.

http://i.imgur.com/KWsyaHS.jpg

SouthLink 3219(Scania L94UB/Volgren 'CR224L') At stop D1 Currie St with a 861 to Glen Osmond.

http://i.imgur.com/ofZK8rT.jpg

Light-City Buses 1139(Scania K320UA/Custom Coaches 'CB60 Evo II') with a C1T to Tea Tree Plaza

http://i.imgur.com/BFUU9pG.jpg

Light-City Buses 1526(Scania K230UB/Custom Coaches 'CB80') travels down King William St.

http://i.imgur.com/sQkihhj.jpg

Torrens Transit 1902(Scania K320UB/Custom Coaches ‘CB80’) with a route 98C Free City Connecter service.

http://i.imgur.com/5Bi7xLC.jpg

Torrens Transit 1380(Iveco Metro C260/Custom Coaches 'CB80') With a route 190B to Mitcham Square at stop C3 King William St.

http://i.imgur.com/8Tvr13l.jpg

Southlink 3217(Scania L94UB/Volgren 'CR224L')

http://i.imgur.com/zl7seE5.jpg

Torrens Transit 1912(Scania K280UB/Custom Coaches 'CB80') with a route 117 to Port Adelaide in Currie St.

 

More coming soon.