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Schoolies shift up a gear with free regional bus services
Wednesday 19 November 2025
More school leavers across South Australia will be able to get to and from the annual Schoolies Festival easier and safer than ever before, with the biggest ever expansion of the event’s bus service.
The State Government will once again partner with Encounter Youth to offer free travel to and from the annual Schoolies Festival in Victor Harbor.
This year marks a major milestone for the event with the expansion of the Schoolies bus service, now offering multiple departure locations statewide.
Regional students are the big winners, with the new express services providing free return transport from the Riverland, Mid North, Eyre Peninsula, Limestone Coast, and Yorke Peninsula.
Extra departure locations have also been added across metropolitan Adelaide, with services now available at Gawler, Athelstone, Port Adelaide, Adelaide CBD, and Hallet Cove.
Previously, the bus service has only been available to depart from the Adelaide Central Bus Station on Franklin Street.
All up, there will be 12 departure location options for students to choose from. All buses are scheduled to depart on Friday, 21 November and return on Monday, 24 November.
Once at the event, continuous shuttle buses will help school leavers get to and from their accommodation. The services will be running across the three-day event, connecting passengers to Victor Harbor, Encounter Bay, Middleton, Port Elliot, and Goolwa.
Students are encouraged to book their spot on the free bus service through the Encounter Youth website.
Those thinking of driving themselves or with their mates are being encouraged to have plenty of rest before they depart and to remember to take regular breaks along the way.
Drivers should remember that additional rules apply to provisional licence holders. P1 and P2 licence holders must not drive with any alcohol or drugs in their system, drive a high-powered vehicle, or drive more than 100km/h even if the local speed limit exceeds 100km/h. P1 drivers aged 25 years and under are also subject to passenger and night-driving restrictions.
While this year’s studies might be over, brushing up on state road rules and licence conditions is a no brainer. Visit the mylicence website for more information.