IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v126y2022icp85-95.html

Continuance intention of autonomous buses: An empirical analysis based on passenger experience

Author

Listed:
  • Yan, Yingying
  • Zhong, Shiquan
  • Tian, Junfang
  • Li, Tong

Abstract

The aim of this study was to understand passengers’ continuance use intention with respect to autonomous buses (ABs) based on actual riding experience. Therefore, an extended technology acceptance model taking characteristics of both autonomous driving and buses into account was proposed, and 576 passengers with ABs riding experience in China responded to the survey. Several findings were revealed. First, characteristics of buses (including perceived in-vehicle safety, service quality and general attitudes toward buses) had positive effects on continuance use intention. Second, perceived road safety was not directly associated with continuance intention but had positive effects on perceived usefulness. Third, two significant moderating variables were revealed, namely, past bus riding habits and driver reliance (i.e., the degree to which passengers considered it important for ABs to have a driver). These observations suggest practical implications for policymakers and automakers.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:126:y:2022:i:c:p:85-95
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.07.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X22001913
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.07.010?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. Nguyen-Phuoc, Duy Q. & Phuong Tran, Anh Thi & Nguyen, Tiep Van & Le, Phuong Thi & Su, Diep Ngoc, 2021. "Investigating the complexity of perceived service quality and perceived safety and security in building loyalty among bus passengers in Vietnam – A PLS-SEM approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 162-173.
    2. Calin Iclodean & Nicolae Cordos & Bogdan Ovidiu Varga, 2020. "Autonomous Shuttle Bus for Public Transportation: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-45, June.
    3. Viswanath Venkatesh, 2000. "Determinants of Perceived Ease of Use: Integrating Control, Intrinsic Motivation, and Emotion into the Technology Acceptance Model," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 11(4), pages 342-365, December.
    4. Chikaraishi, Makoto & Khan, Diana & Yasuda, Banri & Fujiwara, Akimasa, 2020. "Risk perception and social acceptability of autonomous vehicles: A case study in Hiroshima, Japan," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 105-115.
    5. Peng Liu & Run Yang & Zhigang Xu, 2019. "How Safe Is Safe Enough for Self‐Driving Vehicles?," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(2), pages 315-325, February.
    6. Jian Chen & Rui Li & Mi Gan & Zhiyan Fu & Fatao Yuan, 2020. "Public Acceptance of Driverless Buses in China: An Empirical Analysis Based on an Extended UTAUT Model," Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, Hindawi, vol. 2020, pages 1-13, November.
    7. Peng Jing & Gang Xu & Yuexia Chen & Yuji Shi & Fengping Zhan, 2020. "The Determinants behind the Acceptance of Autonomous Vehicles: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-26, February.
    8. Azim Shariff & Jean-François Bonnefon & Iyad Rahwan, 2017. "Psychological roadblocks to the adoption of self-driving vehicles," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 1(10), pages 694-696, October.
    9. 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.
    10. Cunningham, Mitchell L. & Regan, Michael A. & Horberry, Timothy & Weeratunga, Kamal & Dixit, Vinayak, 2019. "Public opinion about automated vehicles in Australia: Results from a large-scale national survey," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 1-18.
    11. Bennett, Roger & Vijaygopal, Rohini & Kottasz, Rita, 2019. "Attitudes towards autonomous vehicles among people with physical disabilities," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 1-17.
    12. 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.
    13. Sun, Shichao & Duan, Zhengyu, 2019. "Modeling passengers’ loyalty to public transit in a two-dimensional framework: A case study in Xiamen, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 295-309.
    14. 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.
    15. Chee, Pei Nen Esther & Susilo, Yusak O. & Wong, Yiik Diew, 2020. "Determinants of intention-to-use first-/last-mile automated bus service," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 350-375.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. 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).
    2. Sheykhfard, Abbas & Azmoodeh, Mohammad & Das, Subasish & Ye, Xinyue & Koppel, Sjaan, 2026. "Exploring factors influencing user Re-ride intentions in shared autonomous shuttle vehicles," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    3. Cotet, Corneliu & Bösehans, Gustav & Dissanayake, Dilum, 2025. "Exploring the factors shaping attitudes and intentions towards automated buses: Empirical evidence from Northeast England," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    4. Greifenstein, Marvin & Nordhoff, Sina & Wang, Xinyi & Atluri, Bhuvan, 2026. "Riding into the future: What drives the use of robotaxis in San Francisco?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).

    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. Sheykhfard, Abbas & Azmoodeh, Mohammad & Das, Subasish & Ye, Xinyue & Koppel, Sjaan, 2026. "Exploring factors influencing user Re-ride intentions in shared autonomous shuttle vehicles," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    3. 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).
    4. Zhu, Weiwei & Wei, Jinmeng, 2025. "Influence of information strategies on behavioral intention to adopt driverless vehicles: Based on a survey experiment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    5. Hussain, Qinaat & Alhajyaseen, Wael K.M. & Adnan, Muhammad & Almallah, Mustafa & Almukdad, Abdulkarim & Alqaradawi, Mohammed, 2021. "Autonomous vehicles between anticipation and apprehension: Investigations through safety and security perceptions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 440-451.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. Hasanburak Yucel & Murat Ergün & Gozde Bakioglu, 2025. "Will Conventional Public Transport Users Adopt Autonomous Public Transport? A Model Integrating UTAUT Model and Satisfaction–Loyalty Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-31, October.
    11. 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.
    12. 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.
    13. Gackstetter, David & von Bloh, Malte & Hannus, Veronika & Meyer, Sebastian T. & Weisser, Wolfgang & Luksch, Claudia & Asseng, Senthold, 2023. "Autonomous field management – An enabler of sustainable future in agriculture," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    14. Janotta, Frederica & Hogreve, Jens, 2024. "Ready for take-off? The dual role of affective and cognitive evaluations in the adoption of Urban Air Mobility services," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    15. Jing, Peng & Wang, Baihui & Cai, Yunhao & Wang, Bichen & Huang, Jiahui & Yang, Chenglu & Jiang, Chengxi, 2023. "What is the public really concerned about the AV crash? Insights from a combined analysis of social media and questionnaire survey," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    16. Cotet, Corneliu & Bösehans, Gustav & Dissanayake, Dilum, 2025. "Exploring the factors shaping attitudes and intentions towards automated buses: Empirical evidence from Northeast England," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    17. Ekramifard, Ali & Khademi, Navid & Chaiyasarn, Krisada & Zheng, Zuduo, 2024. "Disability-specific factors in paratransit system continuance: Implications for transportation policy and practice in low-income developing countries," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 173-189.
    18. Hemesath, Sebastian & Tepe, Markus, 2023. "Framing the approval to test self-driving cars on public roads. The effect of safety and competitiveness on citizens' agreement," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    19. Fahimeh Golbabaei & Tan Yigitcanlar & Alexander Paz & Jonathan Bunker, 2023. "Perceived Opportunities and Challenges of Autonomous Demand-Responsive Transit Use: What Are the Socio-Demographic Predictors?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-18, August.
    20. Du, Manqing & Zhang, Tingru & Liu, Jinting & Xu, Zhigang & Liu, Peng, 2022. "Rumors in the air? Exploring public misconceptions about automated vehicles," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 237-252.

    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:trapol:v:126:y:2022:i:c:p:85-95. 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/30473/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.