Connex Connector TicketPage last modified/checked: Thursday, January 08, 2004The marketing drive for these tickets commenced in early December 2000, possibly with the aim of capturing applicants in time for the next working year. While the ticket itself is worded "Connector", all publicity material refers to "Connector Plus", which suggests that in fact, the thrust of the selling campaign are the additional (plus) offers from selected Melbourne retailers available only to purchasers of this ticket. (There is a separate brochure outling these offers). The potential cost savings over normal Metcards appears to be a secondary inducement; indeed, the price of the Connector ticket was offered at an introductory discount until the 31st January 2001. These tickets are for travel only on the six Connex operated rail lines and available for periods of 3 months, 6 months or 12+1 (yearly plus) once validated. The latter offers one month of free travel. In a similar fashion to the Bayside yearly ticket, the booklet explaining the Connector Plus program also contains a lengthy, fold-out application form and terms and conditions of use. The 6 and 12+1 tickets can be debited on a monthly basis to the customers nominated account. Each ticket has its own background colour: 3 monthly is blue, 6 monthly is yellow and the 12+1 is magenta. The actual ticket numbers have been removed from these scans, as requested.
This is the wording which appears on the back of all Connector tickets. The three and six monthly tickets also came with a bonus - 1 weeks additional travel in the case of the three monthly ticket and an additional fortnight's travel with the six monthly. The Connector 12 + 1 already had the additional bonus month "built-in" to the coding on the ticket, however, with the other Connectors, additional tickets were produced. Illustrated below is the Weekly Bonus ticket issued in conjunction with the Connector 3.
The Connex Connector was withdrawn from sale effective 14th November 2003. This was due to "extremely low sales" (the Herald Sun of 4th December 2003 quoted a figure of 250 members), and the imminent takeover of the entire suburban rail network by Connex. |