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Introducing autonomous buses and taxis: Quantifying the potential benefits in Japanese transportation systems

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  • Abe, Ryosuke

Abstract

The introduction of autonomous buses and taxis is expected to generate such benefits as cost reductions—and particularly for regional bus operations with a substantial deficit—as well as enhancing public transit accessibility through decreased trip costs. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the impacts of introducing autonomous buses and taxis on metropolitan transportation systems by quantifying the costs of travel in Japan, and to discuss the potential benefits. First, this study sets the assumptions on autonomous driving technology, including its impacts on vehicle costs, the decreased labor costs for driving and safety monitoring in buses and taxis, and decreased driving stress for private car users. Next, operating costs are computed for autonomous buses and taxis in Japanese metropolitan areas. The costs of travel, or the sum of monetary and time costs, are then computed with and without vehicle automation for different trip types in high- and low-density metropolitan areas. The results highlight that the costs of public transit trips that currently have a smaller share of time costs in overall trip costs could decrease considerably due to vehicle automation. For instance, costs for 10–20-km trip lengths could decrease by 44–61% for taxi trips and 13–37% for rail/bus trips with taxi access, followed by a decrease of 6–11% for bus trips and 1–11% for rail trips with bus access. Further, private car trip costs could decrease by 11–16%. More substantial cost reductions in rail/bus trips with taxi access could occur in the case of smaller trip distances and/or in residential areas far from stations; larger reductions in rail trips with bus access could occur in low-density metropolitan areas. Finally, it is expected that vehicle automation in more fixed modes of public road transit could primarily benefit the transit industry and government, with such effects as improved labor productivity and reduced subsidies, while vehicle automation in more flexible modes could benefit metropolitan residents as well as the transit industry. This further suggests that a deficit of regional bus operations could be recovered during the transition to the full performance of autonomous buses.

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  • Abe, Ryosuke, 2019. "Introducing autonomous buses and taxis: Quantifying the potential benefits in Japanese transportation systems," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 94-113.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:126:y:2019:i:c:p:94-113
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2019.06.003
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    Cited by:

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    5. Yoo, Sunbin & Kumagai, Junya & Kawabata, Yuta & Keeley, Alexander & Managi, Shunsuke, 2021. "Willingness to Buy and/or Pay Disparity: Evidence from Fully Autonomous Vehicles," MPRA Paper 108882, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    9. Limin Tan & Changxi Ma & Xuecai Xu & Jin Xu, 2019. "Choice Behavior of Autonomous Vehicles Based on Logistic Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, December.
    10. 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.
    11. Iman Farzin & Mohammadhossein Abbasi & Elżbieta Macioszek & Amir Reza Mamdoohi & Francesco Ciari, 2022. "Moving toward a More Sustainable Autonomous Mobility, Case of Heterogeneity in Preferences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    12. Rich, Jeppe & Seshadri, Ravi & Jomeh, Ali Jamal & Clausen, Sofus Rasmus, 2023. "Fixed routing or demand-responsive? Agent-based modelling of autonomous first and last mile services in light-rail systems," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    13. Namgung, Hyewon & Fujiwara, Akimasa & Yamamoto, Jenny & Zhang, Junyi, 2023. "Small and medium-sized taxi firm operators' stated choices of future business models: A case study in Japan based on hybrid choice model with panel effects," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    14. Simone Pettigrew & Leon Booth & Victoria Farrar & Branislava Godic & Julie Brown & Charles Karl & Jason Thompson, 2022. "Walking in the Era of Autonomous Vehicles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-13, August.
    15. Badia, Hugo & Jenelius, Erik, 2021. "Design and operation of feeder systems in the era of automated and electric buses," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 146-172.
    16. Ryosuke Abe & Yusuke Kita & Daisuke Fukuda, 2020. "An Experimental Approach to Understanding the Impacts of Monitoring Methods on Use Intentions for Autonomous Vehicle Services: Survey Evidence from Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-16, March.
    17. Alberto Dianin & Elisa Ravazzoli & Georg Hauger, 2021. "Implications of Autonomous Vehicles for Accessibility and Transport Equity: A Framework Based on Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-17, April.
    18. Darius Kianersi & Suraj Uppalapati & Anirudh Bansal & Jeremy Straub, 2022. "Evaluation of a Reputation Management Technique for Autonomous Vehicles," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-21, January.
    19. Tirachini, Alejandro & Antoniou, Constantinos, 2020. "The economics of automated public transport: Effects on operator cost, travel time, fare and subsidy," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 21(C).
    20. M. Eugenia López-Lambas & Andrea Alonso, 2019. "The Driverless Bus: An Analysis of Public Perceptions and Acceptability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-15, September.
    21. Sikai Chen & Shuya Zong & Tiantian Chen & Zilin Huang & Yanshen Chen & Samuel Labi, 2023. "A Taxonomy for Autonomous Vehicles Considering Ambient Road Infrastructure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-27, July.
    22. Gu, Yewen & Wallace, Stein W., 2021. "Operational benefits of autonomous vessels in logistics—A case of autonomous water-taxis in Bergen," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    23. Neil Quarles & Kara M. Kockelman & Moataz Mohamed, 2020. "Costs and Benefits of Electrifying and Automating Bus Transit Fleets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-15, May.

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