SouthLink is an Australian bus service operator in Adelaide. It operates services as part of the Adelaide Metro network under contract to the Department for Infrastructure & Transport. It is a subsidiary of Keolis.
History In April 2000, Australian Transit Enterprises (ATE) won a contract to operate its Adelaide Metro Outer South services, with 82 buses.Adelaide Bus Tendering Results Announced Australian Bus Panorama issue 15/4 February 2000 page 21Private Contractors Scoop TransAdelaide Truck & Bus Transportation March 2000 page 86Adelaide Bus Tendering Results Australian Bus Panorama issue 15/5 April 2000 page 29History SouthLink The service was named SouthLink. ATE also formed a joint venture with TransAdelaide to operate Adelaide Hills area services under the Transitplus name.
In April 2005, SouthLink began operating the Outer North Adelaide Metro contract that had previously been run by Serco.New metropolitan bus contracts for Adelaide Australasian Bus & Coach March 2005 page 13Serco bus drivers end strike ABC News 19 February 2005New Adelaide Bus Service Contracts Transit Australia April 2005 page 118Adelaide Metropolitan Bus Contracts Australian Bus issue 9 May 2005 page 7 In 2010, following the dissolution of its Transitplus partner TransAdelaide, ATE took over full operation of the Adelaide Hills area services and also operated them as SouthLink.End of the line for TransAdelaide ABC News 6 September 2010TransAdelaide no more Railway Digest November 2010 page 18
In July 2011, SouthLink began an eight-year contract for the Outer North, Outer South and Hills areas, with an optional four-year extension exercisable based upon performance criteria.New contractors for Adelaide bus services Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure 29 April 2011Metropolitan Bus Contracts Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure 2 December 2015
In March 2015, SouthLink was included in the purchase of ATE by Keolis Downer.Australian Transit Enterprises sold Coach & Bus Week issue 1183 7 April 2015 page 14Keolis takes ATE Australian Bus Panorama issue 30/6 May 2015 page 15
In July 2020, SouthLink's Outer North and Outer South bus contracts were taken over by Torrens Transit and Busways respectively, while retaining its Hills contract.Private operators named for Adelaide's tram network InDaily 10 March 2020Adelaide Bus and Public Transport Contracts Announced Australasian Bus & Coach 10 March 2020UGL and John Holland to operate Adelaide trams Metro Report International 12 March 2020
Fleet As of August 2025, the fleet consisted of 84 buses.SouthLink Australian Bus Fleet Lists
Depots SouthLink operates two depots in Aldgate and Mount Barker.Contact us Southlink
References
External links
Official website