You are eligible if you can answer yes to all of these questions:

• Are you aged 15+ years?

• Do you live in Tasmania and are able to get to an urban Metro bus service?

• Are you currently using a motor vehicle (including a motorbike) for trips that could be taken by bus?

• Are you usually making no more than 0 to 5 bus trips each week?

• Do you have a Metro Greencard or happy to get one; and permit researchers to use Greencard data?

• Do you have a mobile phone and active email?

• Do you have a good enough understanding of English to give consent?

The project runs for 9 and a half months (38 weeks), and we will ask you to fill in online surveys about yourself 3 times: at the start of the study, approximately 3 and half months later, and 6 months after that.

We will ask for your Greencard number so we can track your bus trips while you are in the project.

If you are allocated to the intervention group, during the 3 and a half months intervention phase:

• you will be given weekly bus use targets ranging from 1 to 3 extra trips each week.

• If you reach the targets, we will give Greencard credit for the same number of trips.

• One week there is a ‘stretch target’ where you aim for 4 trips -if you reach this target, you get 5 Greencard credits.

• You will receive 1-2 emails each week letting you know your targets and 1-3 short SMS text messages to support and inspire you to reach your targets.

If you are in the control group:

• You will not get any Greencard credit or emails/messages during the intervention phase.

• Being in this group is just as important as being in the intervention group. Without a control group to compare to, we will never know if our study changed the way people travel or their physical activity.

Both groups will receive some written materials about physical activity.

At the end of the study, if you were part of the intervention group, you may be asked for a follow-up interview. This is so people can give feedback about what worked and what didn’t work in the trial. The interview can be face-to-face or by telephone/video.

All participants will get Gift cards for completing each part of the study. The value of the Gift Cards goes up with each part of the study. The total value is $100. People in the intervention group will get Greencard credit for each weekly bus use target met. Benefits could also include better health through being more active and reduced transport costs.

There is a low chance of injury related to being more physically active, but this is unlikely.

You can leave the study at any time, and you can ask to remove your data without telling us why. On the date of first publication of results you will no longer be able to withdraw your data.

The Menzies will keep the data safely in password protected files. We will store the data indefinitely. Your participation is confidential and only the Get BusActive Project team will be able to get identifiable information. This is needed so they can contact you.

We will publish the study findings in summary reports, academic journals, present them at conferences and other forums, newspaper articles, and things like fact sheets and videos. We will not use participants' names on the study findings. When findings are to be released, we can let you know.

If you have any questions about this study, you can contact the research team via Lizzy Reid (elizabeth.reid@utas.edu.au).