🏗️ Development

Murray Bridge needs better bus services, locals say

A review of public transport services in regional South Australia will wrap up this week, but the feedback from Murraylands residents is already clear.

Peri Strathearn

Jun 25, 2025 — 2 min read

More affordable and frequent bus services are needed both within Murray Bridge, and between the rural city and Adelaide. Image: Department for Infrastructure and Transport.

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Better Murray Bridge bus services could be just the sort of “quick win” the state Department for Infrastructure and Transport will be looking for in a regional public transport review.

That was one suggestion from members of the public at a workshop in Murray Bridge last week.

About 25 people attended the get-together at Murray Bridge RSL, part of a review of public transport services in regional South Australia which will wrap up at the end of this week.

Attendees were told it was the first time public transport services in regional SA had ever been reviewed.

The feedback locals gave echoed sentiments many had expressed over the years:

Bus services were inadequate, both within Murray Bridge and to Mount Barker and beyond
It was unfair that Murraylands commuters had to pay much more, for much less frequent services, than their counterparts in metro Adelaide
Current services were difficult to access for those who most needed them, such as teenagers and people living with disability
The lack of services was a barrier to growth for both migrant workers and Adelaide families who might move into the region

One popular solution suggested was a version of the Keoride service used in the Adelaide Hills: an on-demand bus service passengers could book using an app.

Murray Bridge currently had a dial-a-ride service, but it was geared much more towards retirees than other groups.

Community representatives have their say at a workshop at Murray Bridge RSL last Thursday night. Photo: Peri Strathearn.

Workshop attendees were told that, once the review was completed, the department would likely look for “quick wins” it could achieve right away, as well as plans it could implement in the medium to long term.

Data analysis and public feedback will be combined in a final report on the gaps in SA’s public transport services, which will be completed later this year.

You have until this Friday, June 27, to provide your feedback.