The South Australian government should find ways to keep open the Cadell ferry over the River Murray because Riverland communities need infrastructure improvements not knockbacks, the Australian Greens said today.

"Adding 20km to a trip may seem insignificant to the Transport Department in Adelaide, but it's unfair for communities like Cadell which have battled the drought and need reliable services like the ferry," South Australian Greens' Senator and Murray Darling Basin spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, said.

"Riverland residents pay their taxes for government services such as transport links and should not have to add more time to their driving because the government can't find other ways to save money.

"We keep hearing the SA government say how vital tourism is to the Murray, but tourists from Adelaide and elsewhere who want to see the Riverland also use the Cadell ferry.

"The Greens urge the Transport Department to reverse its decision to terminate the ferry service and find other cost-savings to keep it open."