sa motor
Celebrating 40 years of the O-Bahn
Since its inaugural journey on 9 March 1986, Adelaide's O-Bahn busway has become one of South Australia's most recognisable and successful public transport systems.
These days, the O-Bahn averages nearly 30,000 passengers daily; and in 2025, there were 892 services each weekday and more than nine million passengers.
The name O-Bahn comes from the German words omnibus (bus) and bahn (path).
Designed to help cut travel times between Adelaide's CBD and the fast-growing north-eastern suburbs, the high-speed, guided busway was at the time only the second of its kind in the world – the other was in Essen, Germany.
Today, there are two more O-Bahn busways – one in Nagoya in Japan and the other in Cambridgeshire in England.
The first O-Bahn guided-wheel buses were articulated Mercedes-Benz O305s, but the 188-strong fleet is now made up of air-conditioned Scania models.
The O-Bahn comprises three interchanges with 'park and ride' facilities at Tea Tree Plaza, Paradise and Klemzig. In 2017, the State Government also built a traffic-jam and time-saving tunnel between Gilberton and the eastern end of Grenfell Street in the city.
After 40 years of high-speed suburban travel, millions of trips, and cranes lifting the cars of confused drivers from the tracks, the O-Bahn has become an overwhelming success story and one of our state's cultural icons.
It's a fine example of bold planning decisions, innovative engineering and the ongoing benefit of fast public transport.
RAA member priorities in place after the State Election
With the Labor government re-elected in March, RAA will focus on ensuring the State Government delivers its pre-election commitments, as well as pursuing other priorities for members.
RAA's Growth without Gridlock platform outlined a bold vision to support SA's population and housing growth through investment in infrastructure and services that improve our state's liveability.
Before the election, RAA welcomed the State Government's commitment to:
• Preserve a new rail corridor to Adelaide's north and progress planning for its extension.
• Extend the real-time fuel pricing scheme, while bolstering compliance and doubling penalties.
• Invest $12.8 million to formally expand the MetroCard zone to Murray Bridge to make public transport more accessible.
The work doesn't stop here, and RAA will continue to champion several key Growth without Gridlock policies for members, including:
• A $1 billion fund over four years to address the growing road maintenance backlog.
• Additional funding to progress the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass.
• Measures to reduce traffic congestion on Main North Road and Main South Road.
• The duplication of Curtis Road.
RAA Chief Executive Officer Nick Reade says in the past four years RAA has worked collaboratively with the State Government to deliver great outcomes, including the RAA Charge network and Street Smart High.
"We again stand ready to work with the State Government and all Members of Parliament to tackle the challenges facing our members and all South Australians," Nick says.
"In the next four years we'll work with the State Government and Parliament to bring our Growth without Gridlock vision to life for the benefit of all South Australians."
RAA Charge hits new highs
Electric vehicle (EV) charging sessions across RAA Charge's 145 locations nearly doubled over the Easter long weekend, compared with last year.
SA's first border-to-border network delivered almost 3500 charging sessions, with about 70 per cent occurring in regional areas.
Charging numbers for the AFL's Gather Round in April were equally impressive, with sessions and kilowatt hours also doubling. Victorian visitors used the network the most, followed by Queensland and the ACT.
March EV sales in SA also surged, up 37 per cent month-on-month, with 1084 of 6418 new vehicles sold being either full battery electric or plug-in hybrids.
An RAA member survey – taken before rising fuel prices – found nearly half of motorists were considering an EV as their next car purchase.
Lower running costs (94 per cent), reduced servicing (84 per cent) and environmental sustainability (83 per cent) were the top motivators for people choosing electric over internal combustion engine vehicles.
RAA's Principal Advisor of Energy and Future Mobility Peter Nattrass expects interest to keep growing.
"South Australians are looking very closely at the cost of running their vehicles right now," Peter says. "EVs are increasingly being seen as a practical way to reduce the cost of driving."
Spike in motorcyclist casualties
RAA is encouraging road users to take extra care, following an alarming rise in motorcyclist casualties in 2026.
As of the end of the Easter long weekend, 10 motorcyclist fatalities were recorded on SA roads, compared with three at the same time last year. A further 59 riders and one passenger sustained serious injuries in the first three months of the year.
RAA Senior Manager of Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain is urging riders to understand the risks.
"It's critical motorcyclists and passengers wear appropriate gear with a high MotoCAP safety rating, including a helmet, jacket, pants, gloves and boots," Charles says.
"Keep your headlights on at all times and if you're shopping for a new motorcycle, look for safety features such as anti-lock braking, traction control and stability control."
Charles says drivers also need to be aware of motorcyclists on the road.
"Check your mirrors and blind spots and always indicate before changing lanes," he says.
"As drivers, we can help make motorcyclists safer just by paying attention to our surroundings."
"Watch out for lane-filtering motorcyclists and keep a safe distance behind motorcycles, especially on wet roads or when visibility is poor."
SA road in focus
In each edition of sa move, we shine the spotlight on a South Australian road.
Length
Casualty crashes
Lives lost
Serious injuries
Minor injuries
The road: Grand Junction Road
Why it’s in focus
Grand Junction Road, stretching from Vista near Tea Tree Gully to Port Adelaide is one of Adelaide's busiest roads. Parts of the corridor carry up to 46,700 vehicles per day, including 6300 heavy vehicles, and form part of a major heavy vehicle route from Glen Osmond to Wingfield.
The section between Hampstead Road and the North-South Motorway is part of the federal and state-funded National Land Transport Network.
Crash history (2019–2023)
The Hampstead Road to Churchill Road section accounted for 30 per cent of casualty crashes along Grand Junction Road, despite being 15 per cent of the corridor's length.
About two-thirds of casualty crashes occurred at intersections, with the most taking place at Main North Road and Port Wakefield Road (23 casualty crashes), Hampstead Road and Briens Road (19), Nelson Road (17) and South Road (17).
Rear-end collisions were the most common casualty crash type at 43 per cent, followed by right-angle and right-turn crashes (both 18 per cent), with vulnerable road users involved in 19 per cent of casualty crashes.
Recent upgrades
A $19 million upgrade in 2021 significantly reduced injury crashes at the Hampstead Road and Grand Junction Road intersection. Other recent works include a new pedestrian push-button crossing near Montrose Avenue at Clearview, and streetscape improvements in Hope Valley and Valley View.
A new 40km/h time-based school zone is in place near Torrens Valley Christian School at Hope Valley and another will soon be in place near St Paul's College at Gilles Plains. Planned upgrades to the Fosters Road intersection will also improve pedestrian crossings in the area.
What RAA wants done
The Gepps Cross intersection carries about 85,000 vehicles per day and regularly features in RAA's Risky Roads surveys. The intersection needs improved right-turn capacity from Grand Junction Road onto Main North Road and Port Wakefield Road, with grade separation a long-term solution.
RAA reviewed Grand Junction Road in March and found several problems, including sunken service pit covers, with 43 between Port Road and South Road needing repairing in our 2022 assessment. Fixes to undulations near North East Road and cracking between South Road and Hanson Road are needed, along with upgrades to traffic signal mast arms on the outer ring route.
Leading up to the 2026 State Election, RAA called for the annual road maintenance budget to be increased to at least $250 million, up from about $160 million. RAA will continue to call on the State Government for further road maintenance funding to begin to address the $2.1 billion backlog.
Book an RAA Approved Repairer online
When something goes wrong with your pride and joy, you want it fixed as soon as possible, and now RAA's making it easier to get your vehicle back on the road.
RAA's online locator lets you find and request a booking with a trusted Approved Repairer near you with the click of a few buttons. Whether you're after a mechanical or specialist service, just visit raa.com.au/repairer, then enter your postcode and the service you need.
Choose from the list of RAA Approved Repairers in your area, then send a booking request and they'll get back to you. You can even find a list of repairers that offer RAA member discounts.
Give it a try next time your wheels need some help from a trusted RAA Approved Repairer.
RAA App's real-time fuel pricing here to stay
South Australian motorists are using the RAA app in record numbers to monitor real-time fuel pricing across the state, with drivers saving $58 million a year.
It comes as the war in the Middle East continues to put pressure on Australia's fuel suppliers and push petrol prices to record highs.
The good news is that RAA's real-time fuel pricing feature is here to stay, and it's now the State Government's endorsed go-to source for fuel information across SA.
Thanks to a recent update to the RAA app, users can now see both real-time fuel prices and a daily snapshot of petrol availability across SA.
The new feature is available in the RAA app's Trends section. If you're out and about, you can check petrol prices and whether your closest service station has the fuel you need.
You can even use the RAA app on your vehicle's Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to make it easier.
Personal mobility devices on public transport
Since July 2025, e-scooters and other specified electric personal mobility devices (PMDs) have been legal on SA's roads and paths, but that's where it ends. Electric PMDs – such as e-scooters, e-skateboards and e-solo wheels (electric unicycles) – aren't permitted on any form of public transport. Foot-powered scooters are allowed, but they must be folded and fully enclosed in a bag no bigger than 90cm by 60cm by 40cm.
The ban on electric PMDs is in place for safety reasons, as there have been incidents interstate where battery-powered devices have caught fire on trains.
Motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters used for disability or accessibility purposes have their own rules and are allowed on public transport. Bicycles and non-modified e-bikes can be taken on trains only but not buses or trams. A separate peak concession fare is required for the bike when travelling on trains during peak travel periods.
While these rules have been in place since last year, the State Government is planning to review them by July 2026. RAA will keep members updated about any changes to the laws.
IMAGES: Getty; RAA/Mike Lockheart.
