Adelaide Hills bus services to change names, new express service revealed, 840X axed

A new high-frequency Hills bus express service starts within weeks, as Adelaide Metro changes the names of most of the services from the city. See the changes.

An express Adelaide Hills bus service has been cut and a new, higher-frequency one introduced as 384 extra weekly services to the city start within weeks.

Several Hills bus routes will change names under the $19m public transport upgrade rollout, which was announced in January.

The popular T840, 840X and T843 express buses will be known as the T800 but follow the same route and stops as the T840, with an additional stop at the city end of Glen Osmond Rd.

A new ‘Go Zone’ seven-day express service called the T800 has been introduced, running every 15 minutes on week days – every six minutes in peak time – and half hourly at nights and weekends.

The changes mean the popular 840X, which doesn’t stop at Crafers and runs express from Mount Barker to the CBD, will be cut. It’s about two minutes shorter than the other T840 express, which does stop at Crafers.

The 864 and 864F buses, which stopped along Glen Osmond Rd, will be replaced respectively by the 801 and the semi-express T801.

Weekend services will also increase, with buses travelling between the new $6m Crafers Park ‘n’ Ride, Glen Osmond Road and the city approximately every 15 minutes between 7.30am and 7pm on weekends.

The 384 new weekly services to the CBD will start from Sunday, August 25.

The state government said – including extra services that started earlier this year – the upgrade meant a total 104 extra services each weekday, 22 on Saturdays and 48 on Sundays, a 42 per cent increase in trips between the city and the Hills.

A spokesperson said the improvements would provide additional peak capacity, including around school times, and run more often both early in the morning and late at night, seven days a week.

Twenty-four new drivers have been recruited and a new fleet of hybrid-diesel buses is being rolled out.

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said Hills commuters had embraced the improvements.

“Sunday patronage has increased by 119 per cent – and now we are delivering the same flexibility on weekdays to keep people on the move,” he said.

“We know that for every full bus on the South Eastern Freeway, there is an exponentially larger number of vehicles that aren’t being used as people commute to the city.”

Independent MP for Kavel Dan Cregan said Mount Barker was on track to become SA’s largest city outside of Adelaide.

“That’s why investing in public transport services between the Adelaide Hills and the city is vital,” he said. “I’m delighted to see these extra services hitting the road on schedule.”

Hills commuters are encouraged to visit the Adelaide Metro website for more information, including new timetables and route numbers.

Originally published as Adelaide Hills bus services to change names, new express service revealed, 840X axed