The City of Mount Gambier has officially lodged a submission to the South Australian government’s Regional Public Transport Review, renewing its call for long-overdue reform to the city’s “outdated, limited” public transport system.
Backed by years of community feedback, expert analysis, and growing frustration, the council’s submission urges the Department of Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) to deliver meaningful, evidence-based reform to a system that hasn’t changed in more than three decades.
“Improving public transport is one of our top advocacy priorities,” City of Mount Gambier mayor Lynette Martin says.
“We have been lobbying for change for more than five years and we have heard community concerns loud and clear that our current system simply doesn’t meet the needs of our growing and changing community. It is outdated, limited, and doesn’t provide an adequate service for our people.”
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Mount Gambier, South Australia’s second-largest city and the state’s regional capital, services a broader cross-border population of over 130,000 people. Yet its bus service consists of a single, infrequent loop that does not operate on evenings, weekends, or public holidays and fails to reach key destinations.
“Our city bus service does not service areas like Conroe Heights, Hallmont Estate and Woodlands Grove, meaning some people in our community can’t access the service as they should,” councillor Josh Lynagh says.
“The service does not operate during the evenings, weekends, or public holidays, and it does not service places like the airport, cemetery, or tourist destinations. We have just one infrequent loop servicing the hospital and TAFE and UniSA precinct.”
The council’s submission, unanimously endorsed at its June 2025 meeting, calls for immediate improvements including greater coverage, more frequent service, weekend operations, and a trial of modern, flexible options like an on-demand bus system.
“We need a fit-for-purpose model in partnership with the community and would like to be considered for a regional trial for innovative transport solutions such as an ‘on-demand’ transport model,” Martin says.
The submission also pushes for fair funding, citing a stark gap between what’s spent per person on public transport in metropolitan Adelaide versus regional South Australia.
“There is an eye watering disparity between bus funding for metropolitan and regional South Australia. It is $273.00 per person in metropolitan areas and a meagre $40.00 per person in regional South Australia,” councillor Frank Morellon says.
“You’d think that inequity would be clear to see for everybody, and yet, here we are five years later and we’re still advocating. It seems the wheels on the bus are moving ever so slowly in Mount Gambier.”
Morello added, “It’s tiresome being treated as a poor country cousin having to beg for what would be considered to be unacceptable anywhere else.”
Councillors also pointed out the real-life consequences of inaction, especially for vulnerable groups who rely on public transport to access education, employment and health services.
“During a public consultation a few years ago we received a lot of feedback from our community and many stories about the difficulty for people particularly with special needs and disabilities, who, to get to and from medical appointments at the hospital by bus took them all day,” councillor Sonya Mezinec says.
Councillor Jason Virgo criticised the state government’s ongoing argument that there’s not enough demand to warrant investment.
“It’s the chicken and egg argument, we keep being told there is not enough demand, but there’s not enough demand because it takes too long to get anywhere,” he says.
“I would happily take public transport, but I know I can’t without wasting hours, so we really need to get the on demand service. Are the children of Mount Gambier worth less than the children of Adelaide? – They’re not, we know that.”
The mayor also criticised the government’s recent $20.7 million cost-of-living package, which slashed fares for Adelaide students to just 25 cents per trip, a benefit unavailable to students in Mount Gambier.
“From 1 July, Adelaide students will pay just 25 cents per trip. But students in Mount Gambier are completely left out. How is that fair?” she says.
“We are not asking for more than what other areas already have. We are asking for fair, modern and accessible public transport so our residents can live, work, learn and participate in their daily lives with dignity.
“This is about fairness, access and making sure our city has the services it needs to thrive now and into the future. We are pushing for the public transport system Mount Gambier deserves.
“We call on the South Australian government to work in collaboration with us to deliver a sustainable, inclusive and modern public transport system that supports liveability, social equity, and opportunities for all in our community.”
Council also made clear that its criticisms are not directed at LinkSA, the city’s current bus operator, which it says is working within the constraints of an outdated contract and insufficient funding.
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