We are all for a good life hack, but when they involve public transport, it's a serious game changer.
So, we’re giving out the tricks of the trades, the secret herbs and spices, the hacks to make your commute easier. Unlock these public transport hacks for a smoother journey with Adelaide Metro.
1) Ride for free
No, this isn’t a joke. Free Adelaide Metro services do exist. Commuters can travel for free on selected buses and trams around the city and the beach.
The free City Connector bus travels through the CBD and North Adelaide. While the free tram zone is available every day between Moseley Square and Brighton Road, and in the city from the South Terrace tram stop to the Entertainment Centre, Festival Plaza and Botanic Gardens.
2) Off-peak travel = cheaper fares
Cheap fares? Yes, please. Available between 9:01 am to 2:59 pm weekdays, all-day Sunday and public holidays. If you miss the off-peak travel time and are a frequent traveller, take advantage of the 14-day or 28-day pass, giving you unlimited travel all day, every day.
3) Set and forget. Never worry about low funds on your metroCARD again
There is nothing worse than tapping on and being hit with a ‘insufficient funds’ message because you forgot to recharge.
Never worry about this again and set up an Auto Recharge on your metroCARD. Your metroCARD will automatically top up with the amount you set whenever it drops below $5.
4) See where your ride is in real-time
The hack of all hacks. Commuters know that at a glance they can see how long a service is from there stop with the use of real-time tracking. But not many people know that you can also view how far your route is from each stop.
Do this by navigating to your stop, find your next service and select the drop down next to the real-time. A map will appear which will show where your stop is and where your route is currently. This will update constantly to show how close your route is getting to your stop.
5) Always be in the know with service alerts
Never be caught off guard by a disruption to your service again. Sign up to service alerts and manage your subscriptions for any route and you’ll be notified by SMS or email if there is a disruption to your service.
6) Know how busy your tram is
Avoid the rush or busy commute and track how busy your tram is. Using the real-time updates on your stop page, you will see a ‘three-person icon’ listed next to each service to indicate how busy each tram is.
Green = Not busy
Orange = Busy
Red = Very busy
7) Cycle and ride
Get your daily ride in, even when using public transport. Ride to your station or stop and use the free bike cages. These are available at selected interchanges and stops for cyclists to use.
To access, you’ll need to make sure you have a registered metroCARD. Then you can call the InfoLine or visit the InfoCentre so they can add the bike cage product to your card.