the Adelaide O-Bahn

The Adelaide, South Australia, O-Bahn guided busway had its first stage opened in 1986 and was completed in 1989. The O-Bahn – short for German Omnibusbahn (bus railway) – was conceived by Daimler-Benz to enable buses to avoid traffic congestion by sharing tram tunnels in the German city of Essen. The route was introduced to speed up service to Adelaide's expanding northeastern suburbs, replacing an earlier plan for a tramway extension. It was the first bus rapid transit system in Australia and among the first to operate in the world.

The O-bahn uses specially built track, combining elements of both bus and rail systems. Adelaide's track is 12 km (7.5 miles) long and includes one station and two interchanges: Klemzig Station in Klemzig, Paradise Interchange in Campbelltown and Tea Tree Plaza Interchange in Tea Tree Gully. Interchanges allow buses to enter and exit the busway and to continue on suburban routes, avoiding the need for passengers to change. Buses travel at a maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), and the busway is capable of carrying 18,000 passengers an hour, from the Central Business District to Tea Tree Plaza in 15 minutes. Services are operated under contract from Adelaide Metro, an agency of the South Australian Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure.