Periodical Tickets/Commuter Passes

All periodical tickets ran for a fixed calendar period commencing on the first day of each month and expiring on the last day of each month. Periodical tickets could only be purchased from railway stations (and later through the Commuter Club). It was only the monthly ticket that was stocked and replenished as an ongoing issue. They were renewable up to three days in advance. The 3, 6 and 12 Monthly periodicals were obtained by filling in an application form which was then sent to ticket control. The form was of a quadplicate nature, with each page required for a different purpose. The ticket was paid for immediately and the customer received a pass known as an "Interim Card" (coloured gold) with a hand stamped expiry date of two weeks hence. This allowed immediate travel in all neighbourhoods and was ample to cover the three to four days it usually took for ticket control to process the order and send the ticket out to the requesting station. Customers were instructed to return to the booking office after this time with their page from the appplication form; the interim card being surrendered to obtain the periodical ticket. Their photocard (illustrated at bottom of this page) was also transferred to the new ticket.

It will be seen from the many illustrations that follow that the range of periodical tickets was extensive because they were supplied pre-printed for all 18 different neighbourhood combinations. In addition there was an anywhere ticket and an inner ticket - the inner neighbourhood was the only one to have its own individual periodical. This scenario becomes quite overwhelming, and very wasteful, when it is recognized that all these tickets were printed for four calender periods, 12 times per year, every year. There is little doubt that many of them never found a buyer.

Note that there were no passes supplied specifically for the Ringwood or Frankston neighbourhoods. The adjoining neighbourhood combinations covered this requirement. Commuter Passes Concurrent with the 10th November 1985 fare increase, the periodical ticket range was re-launched as "Commuter Passes" and a brochure was provided to promote their new guise. With the 20th July 1986 fare rise, the 3- and 6-Monthly passes were abolished. A replacement brochure was again produced to promote the now diminished range. The last blow to the commuter passes came from 29 October 1988 when the 20 different monthly tickets were replaced by a standardised series of 5 tickets; 3 of these alone replacing 18 different passes. These new monthlies did not require photocards and could be purchased on any date. They are detailed in a later section.

The original launch leaflet for the periodical tickets

The November 1985 renaming

Rationalised in July 1986

The August 1988 fare rise