Discussing the “positive utilities” of autonomous vehicles: will travellers really use their time productively?

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are expected to reshape travel behaviour and demand in part by enabling productive uses of travel time—a primary component of the “positive utility of travel” concept—thus reducing subjective values of travel time savings (VOT). Many studies from industry and academia have assumed significant increases in travel time use and reductions in VOT for AVs. In this position paper, the author argues that AVs’ VOT impacts may be more modest than anticipated and derive from a different source. Vehicle designs and operations may limit activity engagement during travel, with AV users feeling more like car passengers than train riders. Furthermore, shared AVs may attenuate travel time use benefits, and productivity gains could be limited to long-distance trips. Although AV riders will likely have greater activity participation during travel, many in-vehicle activities today may be more about coping with commuting burdens than productively using travel time. Instead, VOT reductions may be more likely to arise from a different “positive utility”—subjective well-being improvements through reduced stresses of driving or the ability to relax and mentally transition. Given high uncertainty, further empirical research on the experiential, time use, and VOT impacts of AVs is needed.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2018.1470584
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/7802200
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Abstract republished with permission of Taylor & Francis.
• Authors:
  • Singleton, Patrick A
• Publication Date: 2019-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 50-65
• Serial:
  • Transport Reviews
  • Volume: 39
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • ISSN: 0144-1647
  • EISSN: 1464-5327
  • Serial URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ttrv20

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Activity choices; Impacts; Intelligent vehicles; Quality of life; Travel time; Value of time; Vehicle occupants
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01687634
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 4 2018 10:09AM