{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,24]],"date-time":"2026-01-24T19:35:22Z","timestamp":1769283322676,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,29]],"date-time":"2024-05-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1716940800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001030","name":"National Heart Foundation of Australia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ID104892"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ID104892"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001030","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Health Prom J of Aust"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Issue Addressed<\/jats:title><jats:p>Public transport (PT) users often accumulate more physical activity (PA) than private motor vehicle users and financial incentives may increase PT use. Responding to rising petrol prices, from 28 March to 1 May 2022, the Tasmanian government made public bus use fare\u2010free. This exploratory study examined the perceived impact of fare\u2010free buses on bus use and PA.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Tasmanian adults who had used the fare\u2010free buses (<jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u2009548) completed an online survey (4 May\u201314 June 2022). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential methods and responses to open\u2010ended questions categorised.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Over the fare\u2010free period, 46% of participants reported more bus use\u2014average weekly bus trips increased from 3.0 to 4.0 (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u2009&lt;\u20090.001). Most (81%) participants, including 36% (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u200933\/93) who were not previous bus users, planned continued bus use despite financial cost. Total PA was reported higher (36%), the same (60%) and lower (4%) than usual during the fare\u2010free period. Higher total PA was more common amongst those reporting increased bus use (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u2009186\/240; 78%). Responses to open\u2010ended questions revealed: bus use\u2010related PA gain was through walking to\/from bus stops, more frequently attending PA settings (e.g., the gym) and unexpected walking due to bus service limitations; household\u2010level cost savings, improved travel opportunities and better social\/mental health were additional fare\u2010free benefits.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions\/So What<\/jats:title><jats:p>Fare\u2010free buses were commonly perceived to increase bus use and PA. Intervention studies would determine if PA and financially incentivised PT have a causal relationship. Individual\u2010 and societal\u2010level health economic analysis of free PT is warranted.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/hpja.881","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,30]],"date-time":"2024-05-30T10:38:27Z","timestamp":1717065507000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Free bus fares, bus use and physical activity: An exploratory cross\u2010sectional study"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"36","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1949-4920","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melanie J.","family":"Sharman","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania  Hobart Tasmania Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5996-5881","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Oliver","family":"Stanesby","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania  Hobart Tasmania Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9346-6429","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kim A.","family":"Jose","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania  Hobart Tasmania Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3310-6704","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stephen","family":"Greaves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Transport and Logistic Studies, The University of Sydney  Sydney New South Wales Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8358-3237","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Verity J.","family":"Cleland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania  Hobart Tasmania Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_12_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1753-6405.12699"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ypmed.2011.02.017"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_4_1","volume-title":"24\u2010hour movement guidelines\u2014children and young people (5\u201317\u2009years)\u2014brochure","author":"Australian Department of Health","year":"2019"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_5_1","volume-title":"Global status report on physical activity 2022","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2022"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(12)60735-1"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_7_1","volume-title":"Key health benefits associated with public transport: an evidence check rapid review brokered by the sax institute (http:\/\/www.saxinstitute.org.au) for the NSW Ministry of Health","author":"Rissel C","year":"2012"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph9072454"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/pubmed\/fdy099"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_10_1","first-page":"1","volume-title":"A workplace\u2010based intervention to increase levels of daily physical activity: the travel to work cluster RCT","author":"Audrey S","year":"2019"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jth.2018.01.009"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ypmed.2015.09.022"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ypmed.2008.03.005"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-74983-9_28"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_15_1","unstructured":"Australian Bureau of Statistics.Method of travel to work on day of the census. Census all Persons QuickStats.2021[cited 2023 March 6]. Available from:https:\/\/www.abs.gov.au\/census\/find-census-data\/quickstats\/2021\/AUS"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_16_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.32866\/001c.32282"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12966-017-0490-2"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_18_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0090347"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2019-100633"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1099-0771(200004\/06)13:2<233::AID-BDM325>3.0.CO;2-U"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_21_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0167-2681(80)90051-7"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.regsciurbeco.2020.103616"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_23_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11116-016-9695-5"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tranpol.2019.02.004"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_25_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12966-018-0660-x"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_26_1","volume-title":"Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness","author":"Thaler RH","year":"2009"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_27_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1090198120931788"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_28_1","unstructured":"Australian Bureau of Statistics.Method of travel to work (MTWP) by state\/territory (main ASGS) [Census TableBuilder].2021[cited 2022 October 25]. Available from:https:\/\/www.abs.gov.au\/census\/guide\u2010census\u2010data\/census\u2010dictionary\/2021\/variables\u2010topic\/transport\/method\u2010travel\u2010work\u2010mtwp"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_29_1","volume-title":"Further COVID restrictions to be eased","author":"Tasmanian Government","year":"2022"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_30_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.conctc.2020.100619"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_31_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/hpja.292"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_32_1","unstructured":"Australian Bureau of Statistics.Census of population and housing [Census TableBuilder].2021[cited 2024 January 15]. Available from:https:\/\/www.abs.gov.au\/statistics\/microdata-tablebuilder\/available-microdata-tablebuilder\/census-population-and-housing"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_33_1","volume-title":"More than 100,000 extra people pick buses","author":"Tasmanian Government","year":"2022"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_34_1","unstructured":"Google LLC.COVID\u201019 community mobility reports. Google.2023."},{"key":"e_1_2_12_35_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tra.2018.10.001"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_36_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tranpol.2019.06.012"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_37_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jth.2021.101139"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_38_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(11)60749-6"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_39_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.trip.2020.100164"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_40_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/jech-2017-210038"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_41_1","volume-title":"Young Persons' free bus travel scheme\u2013year 1 evaluation: summary report","author":"Wilson\u2010Smith E","year":"2023"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_42_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1479-5868-5-56"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_43_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.trc.2008.11.004"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_44_1","volume-title":"Metro Tasmania Covid 19 and other illness update","author":"Metro Tasmania","year":"2022"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_45_1","volume-title":"Annual report 2021\u201322","author":"Metro Tasmania","year":"2022"}],"container-title":["Health Promotion Journal of Australia"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/hpja.881","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,17]],"date-time":"2025-02-17T04:17:11Z","timestamp":1739765831000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/hpja.881"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,29]]},"references-count":44,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1002\/hpja.881"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/hpja.881","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["1036-1073","2201-1617"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1036-1073","type":"print"},{"value":"2201-1617","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,29]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2024-01-22","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2024-05-14","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2024-05-29","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e881"}}