2023 Public Transport User Survey

In late 2023, People for Public Transport conducted a huge survey to hear the public's thoughts on the current state of SA's public transport system.

Adelaide Metro patronage is still down ~20% since 2019 due to COVID-19 and working from home arrangements. Train patronage has been particularly badly affected, sitting at only ~12 million a year: the worst performer in Australia.

Meanwhile, State and Federal Governments continue to pour billions of dollars into massive road projects that do nothing to make our transport system more affordability, accessible and sustainable.

Our survey found that although most South Australians use public transport at least some of the time, the limited and infrequent services are a major barrier to use and most people want Government to increase investment in the public transport system.

Read on for the full results.

Usage

Most people use Public Transport at least “sometimes”. Buses and trains are the most common modes people use.

Transport Policy Priorities

South Australia has a multi-billion dollar infrastructure pipeline, but the single biggest Public Transport investment is the Port Dock railway line which will cost just $53 million.

We asked survey respondents if they think that the Government's transport spending has the right spending priorities. Unsurprisingly, an overwhelming number of people supported spending less money on roads and more investment into public transport.

Public Transport Issues

Survey respondents identified a wide variety of issues that they believe is facing public transport in SA, but the most consistent theme is that services are limited, unreliable, infrequent, and expensive. These are all barriers to expanding the uptake of public transport use.