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Willingness to ride and perceptions of autonomous public transit

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  • Kassens-Noor, Eva
  • Kotval-Karamchandani, Zeenat
  • Cai, Meng

Abstract

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) hold great promise to contribute to global sustainability by expanding access to mobility. The introduction of autonomous buses and shuttles could be a turning point for public mobility in the USA, but how autonomous public transit is perceived remains largely unknown. To fill this gap, this study analyzes the willingness to use autonomous buses and shuttles based on two surveys conducted in Michigan. These surveys were a phone-based random-sampling survey of the general public and an on-board intercept survey of public transit riders. We found that autonomous buses might increase willingness to use public transit. 15% of people, who occasionally ride or do not ride public transit, embrace the idea of using autonomous bus service, while fixed-route riders were more likely to accept AVs than demand-response transit riders. However, about half of the public transit riders were hesitant about riding in autonomous buses citing concerns over safety, no human, and distrust in technology. Willingness to ride was higher among younger males than it was for females, seniors, and people with mobility disabilities. In addition, our data suggests that riders’ satisfaction with their drivers - be it skill, professionalism, or friendliness - had no impact on willingness to ride in AVs. As AVs become ready for deployment, policymakers and public transportation service providers should consider AV acceptance among vulnerable individuals to bring AV benefits to all.

Suggested Citation

  • Kassens-Noor, Eva & Kotval-Karamchandani, Zeenat & Cai, Meng, 2020. "Willingness to ride and perceptions of autonomous public transit," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 92-104.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:138:y:2020:i:c:p:92-104
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2020.05.010
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Thurner, Thomas & Fursov, Konstantin & Nefedova, Alena, 2022. "Early adopters of new transportation technologies: Attitudes of Russia’s population towards car sharing, the electric car and autonomous driving," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 403-417.
    3. Rosell, Jordi & Allen, Jaime, 2020. "Test-riding the driverless bus: Determinants of satisfaction and reuse intention in eight test-track locations," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 166-189.
    4. Sharma, Ishant & Mishra, Sabyasachee, 2022. "Quantifying the consumer’s dependence on different information sources on acceptance of autonomous vehicles," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 179-203.
    5. Kassens-Noor, Eva & Cai, Meng & Kotval-Karamchandani, Zeenat & Decaminada, Travis, 2021. "Autonomous vehicles and mobility for people with special needs," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 385-397.
    6. Petrović, Đorđe & Mijailović, Radomir M. & Pešić, Dalibor, 2022. "Persons with physical disabilities and autonomous vehicles: The perspective of the driving status," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 98-110.
    7. Fatemeh Nazari & Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee & Abolfazl Mohammadian, 2023. "Behavioral acceptance of automated vehicles: The roles of perceived safety concern and current travel behavior," Papers 2302.12225, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2024.
    8. Yan, Yingying & Zhong, Shiquan & Tian, Junfang & Li, Tong, 2022. "Continuance intention of autonomous buses: An empirical analysis based on passenger experience," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 85-95.

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