Combined Metcard-Skybus Tickets

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From Monday 18th July 2005, two new trial metcards came on sale exclusively from the City Metshop and the Skybus information counter at
Melbourne Airport. These are a combined Metcard-Skybus ticket available as a 2-Hour or Daily Zone 1 fare plus the Skybus Adult single fare
($13.00) to or from Melbourne Airport. There are no concession issues and the purpose of the three month trial sale period is to assess
whether there is a demand for Zone 1-2 and Zone 1-2-3 tickets. They appear to be of Magnadata manufacture and have no designators. The rear
of the ticket has the Skybus barcode which must be swiped past the reader which is visible in the drivers ticket issuing console on Skybuses.
This reader is also used for Skybuses own ticketing system. Information on the combined Metcard-Skybus tickets was included for the first
time in the 2006 Fares and Travel guide which means that the trial was considered successful and there had been sufficient enough sales of
these unusual magnetic strip tickets to make them a permanent part of the metropolitan fare structure.

A special thin card wallet has been provided to hold these new metcards. Inside, there is a fold-out map of the rail and tram systems,
information on reaching popular tourist attractions and on the availability of the combined metcard/Skybus tickets.

"Total traveller" ticket holder and maps

A small poster has been placed in the front window of the city Metshop advising of these new tickets.

The 2006 cost of these tickets was $16.00 for the Skybus single plus 2-Hour Zone 1 ($16.10 if purchased separately) or $18.50 for the Skybus single plus Daily Zone 1 ($18.90 if purchased separately). They are a unique ticket as they combine travel on a private operators services which are outside the current metlink system. The tickets were first announced on the metlink site in a media release dated 12th July 2005.
Shown below for comparison is a recent "standard" Skybus ticket

A revamped skybus issue which includes the new corporate logo for skybus appears to have been printed between 2008-2009
(based on the 01009 numeric prefix).

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