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Sharing Anxiety Is in the Driver’s Seat: Analyzing User Acceptance of Dynamic Ridepooling and Its Implications for Shared Autonomous Mobility

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  • Sigma Dolins

    (Mobility and Systems, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Lindholmspiren 3A, 41756 Göteborg, Sweden
    Design & Human Factors, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden)

  • Helena Strömberg

    (Design & Human Factors, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden)

  • Yale Z. Wong

    (Institute of Transport & Logistics Studies, University of Sydney Business School, Darlington, NSW 2006, Australia)

  • MariAnne Karlsson

    (Design & Human Factors, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden)

Abstract

As connected, electric, and autonomous vehicle (AV) services are developed for cities, the research is conclusive that the use of these services must be shared to achieve maximum efficiency. Yet, few agencies have prioritised designing an AV system that focuses on dynamic ridepooling, and there remains a gap in the understanding of what makes people willing to share their rides. However, in 2017, the Australian transport authority Transport for New South Wales launched over a dozen trials for on-demand, shared public transport, including AVs. In this paper, we investigate the user willingness-to-share, based on experiences from one of these trials. Four focus groups (19 participants in total) were held in New South Wales with active users of either the trialled on-demand dynamic ridepooling service (Keoride) or commercial ridepooling (UberPool). Through thematic analysis of the focus group conversations, the cost, comfort, convenience, safety, community culture, and trust in authority emerged as factors that influenced the willingness-to-share. When presented with driverless scenarios, the focus group participants had significant concerns about the unknown behaviour of their co-passengers, revealing sharing anxiety as a significant barrier to the adoption of shared AVs. This paper identifies previously disregarded factors that influence the adoption of AVs and dynamic ridepooling and offers insights on how potential users’ sharing anxiety can be mitigated.

Suggested Citation

  • Sigma Dolins & Helena Strömberg & Yale Z. Wong & MariAnne Karlsson, 2021. "Sharing Anxiety Is in the Driver’s Seat: Analyzing User Acceptance of Dynamic Ridepooling and Its Implications for Shared Autonomous Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-22, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:14:p:7828-:d:593554
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sigma Dolins & Yale Z. Wong & John D. Nelson, 2021. "The ‘Sharing Trap’: A Case Study of Societal and Stakeholder Readiness for On-Demand and Autonomous Public Transport in New South Wales, Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, August.
    2. Hugo Guyader & Margareta Friman & Lars E. Olsson, 2021. "Shared Mobility: Evolving Practices for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-14, November.
    3. Schulz, Arne & Pfeiffer, Christian, 2024. "A Branch-and-Cut algorithm for the dial-a-ride problem with incompatible customer types," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    4. Toktam Hanaee & Iulian Dincă & Zohreh Moradi & Parinaz Sadegh Eghbali & Ali Boloor, 2025. "Reflecting the Effect of Physical–Perceptual Components on Increasing the Anxiety of Inner-City Rail Transit’s Users: An Integrative Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-34, April.
    5. Sophia Hick & Hannah Biermann & Martina Ziefle, 2024. "How deep is your trust? A comparative user requirements’ analysis of automation in medical and mobility technologies," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.

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