You can go by public bus, taxi or rideshare (a car with a driver booked through an app, such as Uber). The airport is close, 8 km from the centre according to the South Australian Government and 6 km according to its tourism website. We do not give prices, times or journey durations here, and this is why.
We could not check the websites of Adelaide Airport and Adelaide Metro, the public transport operator, on 5 November 2026. In this guide we only publish those figures if we have seen them on the official website of the airport or the operator. What follows comes from other public pages and you can check it in the links. The city is in the Adelaide page.
What are the options?
There are three, listed in alphabetical order, without ranking them:
| Option | What the source says | Price and times |
|---|---|---|
| Public bus | Links the airport with the centre. Tourism Australia calls it J1 and J2 | Unconfirmed |
| Taxi | Ranks in front of the terminal, with signs | Unconfirmed |
| Rideshare | Pick-up area in front of the terminal, with signs | Unconfirmed |
The South Australian Government website lists car, bus and taxi as ways to get there. It does not list the train.
How does the bus work?
There is an airport bus between the terminal and the centre, according to sa.gov.au, that Government's website, updated on 6 February 2026. It is part of the Adelaide Metro network. The same page lists other services to Glenelg and to the West Lakes Centre and Marion Centre interchanges.
Tourism Australia names the routes J1 and J2, on a page modified in October 2023. It also gives a frequency and a journey time, but we do not copy them here because they are not from the operator and that page is three years old. The bus page on Adelaide Metro has the information, although we could not check it.
How do you pay for the bus?
You can pay on board with a card or phone, without buying anything beforehand, according to sa.gov.au. There are three ways:
- Tap and pay on board: with a credit or debit card, or with your phone. The page expressly mentions it for the airport bus.
- Buy & Go app: free, from Adelaide Metro, with several types of ticket. It works on buses and trams, with transfer to trains leaving from Adelaide station.
- metroCARD: rechargeable, for all buses, trains and trams. The page does not say where to buy it.
The same page explains two things about fares:
- Same price: it is the same on bus, train and tram.
- No distance: it does not change with the kilometres.
However, it does not give the amount. It is on the Adelaide Metro fares page, which we could not check.
Once in the centre, sa.gov.au adds that some trams and loop buses are free, within the centre and as far as North Adelaide. We have not seen the exact map of those zones.
What do we know about taxis and rideshare?
We know where they are, but not how much they cost. Tourism Australia says the taxi ranks and rideshare pick-up areas are in front of the terminal, with signs leading to them.
That page gives no prices, and we have not been able to check the airport's page. We do not publish the journey time either, for the reason explained above.
What if I am travelling on from Adelaide?
There are hire cars at the airport and coaches from the centre. The state tourism website says that several companies hire out cars at the airport. It also says that interstate and regional coaches leave from the central bus station, at 85 Franklin Street.
Travel guides are in Routes, and car hire is in renting a car or campervan.
What have we not been able to confirm?
Almost everything that changes from one month to the next is missing:
- Bus price. It depends on the Adelaide Metro fare table.
- Bus times, frequency and journey time. Only a 2023 source that is not from the operator gives them.
- Whether J1 and J2 are still the route names. This comes from that same source.
- Where to catch the bus. We could not check the airport website, which has a page about public transport.
- Taxi price and airport charges. They are on its taxi and rideshare page, which we also could not check.
We could not check those pages, so we do not know what they say today.
What comes after the airport?
Next is usually somewhere to sleep and a phone. These guides cover it:
Sources
All opened on 5 November 2026.
- Using Adelaide Metro buses, trains and trams, SA.GOV.AU (official; updated on 6 February 2026)
- Getting here and around, South Australia (official, tourism)
- Getting around Adelaide, Tourism Australia (official, tourism; modified in October 2023)