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Public Acceptance of the Use of Drones in City Logistics: A Citizen-Centric Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Sandra Melo

    (CEiiA—Centro de Engenharia e Desenvolvimento, Av. D. Afonso Henriques, 4450-017 Matosinhos, Portugal)

  • Flavia Silva

    (RISCO—Research Center for Risks and Sustainability in Construction, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

  • Mohammad Abbasi

    (CEiiA—Centro de Engenharia e Desenvolvimento, Av. D. Afonso Henriques, 4450-017 Matosinhos, Portugal)

  • Parisa Ahani

    (CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Joaquim Macedo

    (RISCO—Research Center for Risks and Sustainability in Construction, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

Abstract

The specific use of drones for city logistics has been increasingly studied and analysed by research and industry. An examination of the findings in the literature indicates that drones have proven to be a useful and added-value tool in the most diverse fields. However, the importance of the citizen’s perspective has still not been sufficiently incorporated into the deployment of urban air mobility systems. This paper seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between public knowledge and the awareness of, and engagement with, drones, alongside the concerns and support for their use in city logistics. A survey was carried out in Portugal of the citizens with a view to better understanding their attitude towards such a goal. The survey revealed a positive attitude towards the use of drones in city logistics and that socio-demographic characteristics, namely gender, education level, job occupation, age, and home location are not directly correlated with citizens’ attitudes. Moreover, citizens revealed that they favour a potential environmental benefit over a reduction in delivery time, which they would be willing to pay for. The policy implications derived can help develop the knowledge of public perception about drone usage for transport-related tasks.

Suggested Citation

  • Sandra Melo & Flavia Silva & Mohammad Abbasi & Parisa Ahani & Joaquim Macedo, 2023. "Public Acceptance of the Use of Drones in City Logistics: A Citizen-Centric Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-9, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:2621-:d:1054357
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Smith, Angela & Dickinson, Janet E. & Marsden, Greg & Cherrett, Tom & Oakey, Andrew & Grote, Matt, 2022. "Public acceptance of the use of drones for logistics: The state of play and moving towards more informed debate," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Monios, Jason & Bergqvist, Rickard, 2019. "The transport geography of electric and autonomous vehicles in road freight networks," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    3. Wadud, Zia & MacKenzie, Don & Leiby, Paul, 2016. "Help or hindrance? The travel, energy and carbon impacts of highly automated vehicles," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1-18.
    4. Martin Savelsbergh & Tom Van Woensel, 2016. "50th Anniversary Invited Article—City Logistics: Challenges and Opportunities," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(2), pages 579-590, May.
    5. Sergio Maria Patella & Gianluca Grazieschi & Valerio Gatta & Edoardo Marcucci & Stefano Carrese, 2020. "The Adoption of Green Vehicles in Last Mile Logistics: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-29, December.
    6. Taha Benarbia & Kyandoghere Kyamakya, 2021. "A Literature Review of Drone-Based Package Delivery Logistics Systems and Their Implementation Feasibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    7. Shariq, M. Hasan & Hughes, Ben Richard, 2020. "Revolutionising building inspection techniques to meet large-scale energy demands: A review of the state-of-the-art," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    8. Debbie Hopkins & Tim Schwanen, 2018. "Automated Mobility Transitions: Governing Processes in the UK," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-19, March.
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    1. Snežana Tadić & Mladen Krstić & Miloš Veljović & Olja Čokorilo & Milica Milovanović, 2024. "Risk Analysis of the Use of Drones in City Logistics," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-17, April.

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