Services are now run by two private operators[dubious – discuss] and united with common ticketing systems, marketing, liveries and signage under the supervision of the state government's Department for Infrastructure and Transport.

[7] The Adelaide Metro is a brand introduced in April 2000, following the second round of tenders privatisation of formerly government-operated bus services.

City Free services and Transitplus, a joint venture between Australian Transit Enterprises and TransAdelaide, won the Hills contract area.

[11] The Adelaide Metro brand was applied across all transport operators, appearing to the public as a unified network, with common livery, timetable designs and a city Information Centre.

In 2016, nearly 80 percent of the Adelaide Metro buses ran on diesel, which is harmful for the environment due to the presence of sulfur.

[6] In 2023, the state government announced that a feasibility study was underway to replace Adelaide Metro's ageing diesel train fleet with zero-emission technology.

[12] The largest element of Adelaide's public transport system is a fleet of diesel and natural gas powered buses.

A major component of the Adelaide Metro bus service is the O-Bahn guided busway to Modbury, carrying around 9 million passengers a year.

[14] The Adelaide suburban railway network consists of seven lines operated by Keolis Downer under contract to the Government of South Australia since January 2021.

The majority of the line is on a dedicated corridor though the western suburbs, and travels on roadway in the city from the terminus to South Terrace and along Jetty Road in Glenelg.

An extension of the line from Victoria Square down King William Street then along North Terrace opened in October 2007.

[25] Construction this new junction, branch lines along the eastern end of North Terrace and King William Road and four new stops began in July/August 2017 and opened in October 2018.

[34] As part of an election commitment, the government announced in 2023 that tram services would return to public ownership by July 2025.

In 2021, as part of a staged upgrade to Adelaide Metro's ticketing system, contactless payments have been rolled out on all trams, allowing passengers to use debit and credit cards to pay for fares.

[40] In 2022, this roll-out continued on O-Bahn bus services, and as of 2023, is now rolling out network-wide, including all remaining buses, and trains.