Another day in Adelaide, Australia. Another victim claimed by the city’s unique and beloved O-Bahn Busway. It’s an old story, forever retold when another poor motorist veers onto the concrete rails where they were never supposed to tread.
If you’ve never heard of the O-Bahn, it’s probably because you’re not from Adelaide or Germany. It’s a busway system in which the vehicles ride on dedicated concrete tracks that guide their steering. It was established in the 1980s, with the concept slowly spreading to a variety of other cities around the world in the years since.
The O-Bahn tracks are a dedicated right of way, only for use by special O-Bahn buses. Sadly, foolish drivers manage to find their way onto the tracks once or twice a year. Most of the time, it’s an elderly driver or a tourist. They inevitably get stuck on the track, and all of Adelaide has a good laugh at their expense. Now, it’s happened once again.
The most recent incident occurred at approximately 7 p.m. on December 15. South Australia Police attended the scene, where a white Hyundai Getz had fallen through the gap in the tracks and become stuck.
The O-Bahn system stretches from Tea Tree Plaza in the northeast all the way to the Adelaide CBD (cental business district). Cars most typically enter the O-Bahn system at the Park Terrace entrance at the city end, where there is a large ramp that buses use to access the tracks. Despite large obvious signage warning motorists to turn back, quite a few drivers still end up driving onto the tracks “by accident.”
What is interesting about this incident is its location. This incident occurred at the other end of the O-Bahn system, at the Tea Tree Plaza interchange. It’s much less common for a car to get to the tracks here, as they have to pass an entire bus station to do so.
Normally, even the most confused driver can tell they’re somewhere they’re not supposed to be. In this case, though, the elderly driver apparently didn’t pick up on this. Their car fell into the O-Bahn track almost immediately—no surprise, given the track width of the Getz is much smaller than a metropolitan bus.
This incident occurred 158 days after the last time someone accidentally drove on the network. Ultimately, the authorities take a dim view of this, and according to 7News, the 87-year-old driver was fined over $500 AUD ($311 USD) for her misdeed. For an Australian fine, that’s getting off extremely cheap.
If you’ve never ridden the O-Bahn, it’s a pretty neat experience. The smooth concrete tracks provide an excellent ride. It’s also fast, as it’s buses only—no other traffic uses the system. Maximum running speed is 85 km/h (52 mph), though it used to be 100 km/h prior to 2012.
What makes the O-Bahn so special is that it’s a guided busway. On regular roads, the O-Bahn buses work just like any other. However, on the concrete tracks, guide wheels run along the raised lip on the edge of the track. Attached to the buses’ steering arms, they control the steering, freeing up the bus driver to merely control the throttle.
The other cool thing? The O-Bahn Busway is one of those rare examples of city planning done right. It was built on a corridor of land that had been set aside decades before, specifically for the purpose of building a transport link to Adelaide’s north-eastern suburbs. Early plans were to construct a highway or heavy rail line, but in the end, the O-Bahn concept won out. Part of its appeal was that feeder buses could pick up passengers from suburban streets, before entering the O-Bahn track to complete a fast journey into the central business district. It was also seen as a lower-impact solution versus building a light or heavy rail line.
On average, one or two cars a year end up stuck on the O-Bahn track. Designers actually took special measures to try and prevent regular vehicles from accessing the network. This was achieved with two main features. Wheel traps at network entry points aim to snare a car’s tires. There are also “sump busters” which are large metal plates installed in a vertical position to literally smash the oil pan under a car. However, most interlopers that end up on the track just end up falling into the gap between the rails, or driving over the edge.
What’s funny is that it’s actually entirely possible to drive a regular car on the track without crashing or falling off. Track workers in pickup trucks do it all the time. As far as my research tells me, just one member of the public has achieved this, too. In 2022, a driver was able to enter the track at the Park Terrance ramp and drove for 10 full minutes until they exited at the first station, Klemzig Interchange. Even more impressively, they achieved this in a Mercedes sedan with relatively low ground clearance, suggesting the sump busters didn’t do their job.
One driver made it all the way to the first O-Bahn stop without crashing. Impressive.
A throwback on the network’s history—it’s long been the pride of Adelaide, Australia.Â
It’s long been a dream of mine to drive the O-Bahn track myself. I’ve spoken widely of this wish, and when the above story dropped in 2022, many friends reached out to ask if I was the one behind it. However, I’ve never quite had the guts to follow through. I suspect a judge would look poorly upon an automotive journalist trespassing on the system just for a lark.
As a transport professional, I’d heavily recommend O-Bahn systems to link any low-density suburban area with an inner-city business district. However, it’s worth noting that busways are highly unpopular with transit fans in the NUMTOTs fan club.
In any case, if you’ve read this, you know more about Adelaide culture than 99.9% of people on Earth. It’s a great town, I highly recommend visiting if you get the chance. Just try to keep your rental car off the tracks if you don’t wanna be famous. Good luck out there!
Image credits: SAPOL, Lewin Day, DPTI, SA Infrastructure and Transport, Sven Storbeck
From watching Australian dash cam videos I’ve learned that their streets are a bit hostile to careless drivers, big curbs to hammer suspension when someone thinks they can just do a U-turn into the opposite lane at a junction.
Once again being old you just get a pass for bad or dangerous driving… I’d love to see the police wage a war on bad driving from the elderly… Ground zero – Florida.
Would certainly save Publix a boatload of money in front door repairs
Curbside Classic just ran an article about the Cambridgeshire bus way, which seems to primarily suffer bicycle incidents since it occupies an old railway with minimal car access.
People drive stupid everywhere, in Portland someone drives onto the I-205 bridge bike path at least once a year and cars also end up on the MAX tracks.
“The 87-year-old driver was fined over $500 AUD ($311 USD) for her misdeed”.
Poor granny, got BUSted by the police.
Two cars on average per year? I’d say that’s pretty acceptable.
There are can opener bridges in the US that have a higher success rate.
That Hyundai Getz got got.
Daddy joke
There’s no joke like a dad joke!!
It’s like one of those theme park kiddy car tracks upsized for busses
We’ve certainly had our share of interesting transportation hits and misses in Adelaide. The O-Bahn – yeah, it’s pretty nifty, a definite hit. The one way Expressway… yep, big miss! Let’s pretend that never happened…
Considering some of the interesting characters I know that live here I’m actually impressed how FEW cars end up on the O-Bahn track! I think anyone who’s grown up here and has at least thought about it once.
I wonder how this would go down in, say, Chicago. Right down the center line of I55, the Dan Ryan, etc. The public transit system is overburdened at peak times. This system would be a fraction of the cost of light rail and allow the bus system better access to clear passage, possibly sharing tunnels with the El or Metra.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-Bahn_Busway
It’s cool to be able to see the tracks on Maps. Here’s a random dropped pin:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ToL8vyc5bL5BTPZ6A
In the Burbs people are constantly driving onto Metra tracks, but not for long.
Fun night time activity was to lie under tracks as the o-bahn skimmed over your head at 80km/h. Didn’t everyone do this for kicks in sleepy Adelaide?
Also. Check the amazing double ender Unimog recovery vehicle that has no space to turn around on the track to pull a bus that has broken down on the track out. https://railgallery.wongm.com/adelaide-obahn-recovery/
That one is a Multimog now 🙂
I would definitely read an article about that?
That’s awesome. It’s like the firetrucks made especially to help in fires inside tunnels. Also , I love Unimogs, so I need to point out that that’s not a Unimog, just a “regular” 4×4 Mercedes NG or SK.
You are right. I do get confused with the multitude of Unimog and Mercedes Truck faces!
Yeah, it’s easy to mix them up. The rule of thumb is cab-over = regular Mercedes truck. Extra hood and big wheels = Unimog.
Yeah, love that thing! Great images captured by a true fan.
This system should be electrified with electric battery buses.
Why battery buses with their stupidly heavy, degradable lithium cells? Why not a trolley wire line above an already fixed-path busway? ????
Why not both? Trolley poles over the busway, batteries for trundling around the normal city streets. Winner!
Probably because you can install a lot of battery packs which still work at 90% after 10 years and then good enough for recycling or continued use, while the whole overhead electric system is really expensive and heavy on resources.
On top of that a trolley bus doesn’t go anywhere without the overhead electric lines. A battery operated vehicle can go everwhere, in case of a detour, new line, road works etc.
There is also a fair amount of loss of electricity when trying to push it through miles of wiring.
So TL;DR; those degradable cells actually are working pretty well for 10 years and then can still be used, like a 20 year old engine can still run, at lower efficiency, or the cells can be recycled, unlike old engines which cannot be reshaped in a more efficient model.
The extra weight of a battery, even if it is as much as 1000 kilograms (which isn’t actually needed in a bus, since it doesn’t drive that much per day and it regens a lot and it has much less drag from air since it doesn’t drive -that- fast) is a fraction of the total weight of the bus and the passengers.
I suggest to inform yourself better before making dishonest claims.
I’m mostly miffed about towns pulling down trolleybus lines for BEV bus routes. Call me nostalgic, but I prefer the trolleybus lines.
The MBTA in the Boston area has abandoned the trolleybuses with the overhead lines. They claim at some point they will be replaced with BEV buses, but they want to build a charging/maintenance shed for $1 Billion before going strong into BEVs- which is just too damn much. Modern diesel with particulate (DPF) filters isn’t that bad, but the trolleybuses were cool.
Seattle had a brilliant solution when using the buses for travelling in the Seattle Downtown Transit Tunnel from 1990 to 2005 before the light rail service began. That was before the explosive lithium-ion batteries became widespread.
Those buses were specially built to have both diesel and electric engines and trolley poles. When the buses entered the tunnel, the drivers switched from the diesel to electric and attached the trolley poles for the journey through the tunnel. At end of the tunnel, the drivers detached the trolley poles and switched to diesel engines for outbound journeys.
This reduced the diesel particles and pollution inside the tunnels.
Trolleybuses have a long history in Seattle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolleybuses_in_Seattle
I was pointing out the specific buses that have both diesel and electric engines that are switchable by the operator when needed. They’re called “dual-mode bus” and are used specifically on the routes that go through the tunnel.
That’s the same principle as the locomotives and New Haven line multiple units serving Grand Central Station in NYC. Steam, and later diesel were prohibited in the tunnels so initially long haul trains had to switch locomotives I. the suburbs. Later they came up with the FL-9, which was a diesel electric locomotive with a third rail shoe to run electric in the Station, and as far into the suburbs as possible. The M2 commuter train had three options, third rail in Manhattan and The Bronx, then pantograph electric through Westchester into Connecticut and finally switching to diesel for rural branches in Ct.
Boston had the same – the Silver Line. Retired now, they use regular diesel-battery hybrids today.
They really need some bollards at the entrances triggered by lack of vehicle weight.
Something like the cattle gates that open as you drive over them would work. Just make the springs extra heavy duty so only buses can cause the bollards to retract.
Example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JTuSxcuNvY
I just watched the video of that, it was very soothing, and somewhat exciting. I wonder if anybody has a US distribution rates for that
I’ve seen videos of other versions of it, I just posted the first one I found. I’m sure someone in the US has distribution rights for some version of it.
Actually, you’ve made me realize there’s no excuse for this anymore. Modern image recognition systems can easily tell a car from a bus.
They should have them set up at every entrance to the system, triggering some kind of moving sign, flashers, or even bollards as you say. The latter solution does present the risk of nailing an actual bus though…
Since most bus systems use tracking transponders already, you could use those to open the gate/bollard and not have to mess with image recognition systems.
There is always the risk of a bus/bollard strike, but it can be minimized to an acceptable level, as is seen by the bollard use for bus lanes all over Europe that rarely catch buses, but catch cars all the time.
$500 fine?
She should never be allowed to drive again, it is so woefully clear you shouldn’t be there.
I had never even heard of this system. I love it. Why doesn’t everywhere have them, dammit?
Because it’s a kludge meant to appeal to the kinds of people who for some reason hate light rail. The original idea for the tracked bus in Berlin was that it was supposed to eventually be replaced by a proper light rail system. “We’ll build the tracks now and use busses on them until we get the funding for the track cars.” Except funding kept going towards expanding German highways in the late ’80s instead of focusing on rail because they couldn’t connect all the lines with giant brick walls blocking off the subway tunnels that went under East Germany. In the late ’80s when privatization of state controlled public transportation began in full force across the globe systems like these were developed as Trojan horses to undermine public rail, pointing to the German system’s supposed efficiency and ignoring the massive upkeep costs and traffic snarls that happened where the busses exited the terminals and jointed the surface streets. Australia unfortunately fell for the propaganda push, implementing their first full time one in 1989 with Canada following soon after.
Since then the O-Bahn and other “hybrids” like it have been used to stop funding of actual light rail development with the excuse of “what we have works well enough for now.” Despite the fact that with only partially dedicated right of ways the busses contribute to the traffic problem. They’re also more expensive because tires wear out faster than steel wheels, diesel’s more expensive than a third rail or catenary electric system, you have to pay for both repairing the roads and repairing the concrete raised trackways, and you have to develop complete anti-intrusion systems like shown in the article above.
The BART was supposed to be like that.
Yes, I added the “The” there to bug the NoCals.
Yes, I used “NoCal” because the NoCals prefer “NorCal.”
Whatever. This SFBA resident simply rolls their eyes and goes about their day.
Yes I added the possessive pronoun “their” to bug the troll.
Not a kludge. It allows higher speed, dedicated, travel, like a subway or trolley, but you can also use the same vehicle on regular roads, unlike a subway or trolley.
Yeah, I think calling it a kludge is pretty harsh. It’s proven to be a reliable and popular system in Adelaide for decades.
I don’t think building light rail would have been some wild game changer. Particularly given the likelihood of rail noise ruining the peace and quiet for surrounding residents.
Vee’s argument is pretty much the same laid out by most transit enthusiasts, particularly the NUMTOTs set.
I think the O-bahn has huge benefits over light rail for lower-density suburban service. Mostly because feeder buses can run through suburban streets doing pickups, and then get on the track for a fast run into the city.
The criticism that the buses add to traffic was valid a long time ago. This was because the O-Bahn didn’t have a dedicated right of way all the way into the CBD. However, that’s been fixed for some time now.
This is like the trolley tunnel in Philadelphia that folks occasionally drive down into and get stuck on the tracks.
I don’t understand, why are the buses on tracks and not normal concrete roads (separated by that fence)? Doesn’t seem like that much of a cost saving over full concrete. What am I missing?
For easy math let’s say a normal full road lane is 10 ft wide. Now let’s says we only need two 1.5 ft strips of road for the guided system. 3 ft of road vs 10 ft of road is A LOT, that’s what you are missing.
Maybe this will help… let’s say you currently make $100k. Now you only make $30k. That doesn’t seem like much $ does it? Better hope your employer doesn’t think like this.
Maybe it’s less materials, but I imagine the “economies of scale” associated with normal road-building would save far more money compared to doing new studies, surveying, tolerance studies, etc. to get this new idea to work. And it’s not like all that ground in between is completely ignored either, it still has to be up to the task.
O-bahn can be built on ground unsuitable for building a road because the weight is on piles. In Adelaide it basically runs up a dry river bed that pretty much never has water in it.
Running the buses on tracks allows them to pass very closely at high speed. It means you can run buses in both directions in a very narrow corridor.