IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v199y2025ics0965856425002411.html

Before and after riding: changing comfort attitude towards autonomous shuttles from perspectives as riders, drivers, and pedestrians

Author

Listed:
  • Long, Keke
  • Shi, Xiaowei
  • Li, Yang
  • Chen, Zhiwei
  • Wang, Yuan
  • Li, Xiaopeng

Abstract

Automated vehicle (AV) shuttles are emerging mobility technologies that have been widely piloted and deployed. Public attitude is critical to the deployment progress and the overall social benefits of automated vehicle (AV) technologies. The AV shuttle demonstration was regarded as a good way for possible attitude improvements. However, not all existing AV shuttle technologies are mature and reliable enough. Some frustrating uncomfortable issues in AV shuttle demonstrations may adversely affect public attitudes toward AV technologies. Studying the impact of the comfort of the demonstration on attitudinal change can help us provide guidance for future demonstrations. Thanks to the AV shuttle project piloted at Dunedin, Florida, this paper interviewed 161 people before and after taking an open road AV shuttle ride. In addition to the participant’s demographic information, driving-related information, and psychological-related information, we collected the AV shuttles’ operation status (e.g., abrupt brake). A series of discrete outcome models were employed to estimate the factors influencing people’s initial opinions before the AV shuttle ride and people’s attitudes change after the ride. The most important finding is that an unsatisfactory riding experience could negatively affect participants’ attitudes toward AV shuttles. Particularly, the number of abrupt brakes raises more concerns when the participants are drivers who share the rights of way with the AV shuttle compared to when the participants are pedestrians or AV shuttle riders. Moreover, the participants’ attitudes toward sharing public space with AV shuttles as pedestrians and human drivers exhibited more negative changes compared with simply riding on AV shuttles. These results improve our understanding of public attitudes toward the existing AV technologies and help identify new opportunities to improve AV technology adoption.

Suggested Citation

  • Long, Keke & Shi, Xiaowei & Li, Yang & Chen, Zhiwei & Wang, Yuan & Li, Xiaopeng, 2025. "Before and after riding: changing comfort attitude towards autonomous shuttles from perspectives as riders, drivers, and pedestrians," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:199:y:2025:i:c:s0965856425002411
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2025.104613
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856425002411
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2025.104613?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Liu, Peng & Xu, Zhigang & Zhao, Xiangmo, 2019. "Road tests of self-driving vehicles: Affective and cognitive pathways in acceptance formation," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 354-369.
    2. Xing, Yingying & Zhou, Huiyu & Han, Xiao & Zhang, Meng & Lu, Jian, 2022. "What influences vulnerable road users’ perceptions of autonomous vehicles? A comparative analysis of the 2017 and 2019 Pittsburgh surveys," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    3. Chen, Zhiwei & Li, Xiaopeng, 2021. "Unobserved heterogeneity in transportation equity analysis: Evidence from a bike-sharing system in southern Tampa," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    4. Penmetsa, Praveena & Adanu, Emmanuel Kofi & Wood, Dustin & Wang, Teng & Jones, Steven L., 2019. "Perceptions and expectations of autonomous vehicles – A snapshot of vulnerable road user opinion," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 9-13.
    5. Liu, Peng & Xu, Zhigang, 2020. "Public attitude toward self-driving vehicles on public roads: Direct experience changed ambivalent people to be more positive," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    6. Salonen, Arto O., 2018. "Passenger's subjective traffic safety, in-vehicle security and emergency management in the driverless shuttle bus in Finland," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 106-110.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xing, Yingying & Zhou, Huiyu & Han, Xiao & Zhang, Meng & Lu, Jian, 2022. "What influences vulnerable road users’ perceptions of autonomous vehicles? A comparative analysis of the 2017 and 2019 Pittsburgh surveys," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    2. Yoganathan, Vignesh & Osburg, Victoria-Sophie, 2024. "Heterogenous evaluations of autonomous vehicle services: An extended theoretical framework and empirical evidence," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    3. Jen Sim Ho & Booi Chen Tan & Teck Chai Lau & Nasreen Khan, 2023. "Public Acceptance towards Emerging Autonomous Vehicle Technology: A Bibliometric Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-18, January.
    4. Márta Volosin & Martin Kálnay & Ádám Bánffi & Natália Nyeső & Gabriella Viktória Molnár & Zsolt Palatinus & Tamás Martos, 2024. "The leading role of personality in concerns about autonomous vehicles," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(6), pages 1-23, June.
    5. Molinillo, Sebastian & Caballero-Galeote, Lidia & Liébana-Cabanillas, Francisco & Ruiz-Montañez, Miguel, 2024. "Understanding users’ willingness to travel on autonomous buses: The moderating effect of experience," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    6. Xing, Yingying & Li, Lun & Sheng, Xiaolu & Zhou, Huiyu & Han, Xiao, 2025. "Understanding public perceptions of autonomous vehicles: A structural model to urban-rural differences and psychological factors," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 70-84.
    7. Md. Mokhlesur Rahman & Jean-Claude Thill, 2023. "What Drives People’s Willingness to Adopt Autonomous Vehicles? A Review of Internal and External Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-29, July.
    8. Leminen, Seppo & Rajahonka, Mervi & Wendelin, Robert & Westerlund, Mika & Nyström, Anna-Greta, 2022. "Autonomous vehicle solutions and their digital servitization business models," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    9. Liu, Peng, 2020. "Positive, negative, ambivalent, or indifferent? Exploring the structure of public attitudes toward self-driving vehicles on public roads," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 27-38.
    10. 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.
    11. Charli Sitinjak & Zurinah Tahir & Mohd Ekhwan Toriman & Novel Lyndon & Vladimir Simic & Charles Musselwhite & Wiyanti Fransisca Simanullang & Firdaus Mohamad Hamzah, 2023. "Assessing Public Acceptance of Autonomous Vehicles for Smart and Sustainable Public Transportation in Urban Areas: A Case Study of Jakarta, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-20, April.
    12. Liu, Peng & Xu, Zhigang, 2020. "Public attitude toward self-driving vehicles on public roads: Direct experience changed ambivalent people to be more positive," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    13. Lindgren, Thomas & Pink, Sarah & Fors, Vaike, 2021. "Fore-sighting autonomous driving - An Ethnographic approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    14. Weina Qu & Hongli Sun & Yan Ge, 2021. "The effects of trait anxiety and the big five personality traits on self-driving car acceptance," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 2663-2679, October.
    15. Li, Dun & Huang, Youlin & Qian, Lixian, 2022. "Potential adoption of robotaxi service: The roles of perceived benefits to multiple stakeholders and environmental awareness," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 120-135.
    16. Margarita Martínez-Díaz & Maximilià-Miquel Montes Carbó, 2024. "Assessing User Acceptance of Automated Vehicles as a Precondition for Their Contribution to a More Sustainable Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-22, January.
    17. Kum Fai Yuen & Ling Qian Choo & Xue Li & Yiik Diew Wong & Fei Ma & Xueqin Wang, 2023. "A theoretical investigation of user acceptance of autonomous public transport," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 545-569, April.
    18. Li, Xiaomeng & Pooyan Afghari, Amir & Oviedo-Trespalacios, Oscar & Kaye, Sherrie-Anne & Haworth, Narelle, 2023. "Cyclists perception and self-reported behaviour towards interacting with fully automated vehicles," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    19. Ziakopoulos, Apostolos & Oikonomou, Maria G. & Vlahogianni, Eleni I. & Yannis, George, 2021. "Quantifying the implementation impacts of a point to point automated urban shuttle service in a large-scale network," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 233-244.
    20. Arto O Salonen & Noora Haavisto, 2019. "Towards Autonomous Transportation. Passengers’ Experiences, Perceptions and Feelings in a Driverless Shuttle Bus in Finland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-19, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:199:y:2025:i:c:s0965856425002411. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.