Autonomous buses: Intentions to use, passenger experiences, and suggestions for improvement

Research on the use of autonomous vehicles as a mode of public transport in a city context is lacking. This paper focuses on the use of recently established autonomous buses (self-driving electric shuttle buses) running along a regular public transport line in a residential area of Oslo, Norway. The authors use a mixed-methods approach based on survey and interview data from two independent studies. The paper examines intentions to use autonomous buses before and after these were introduced in the case area as well as how passengers experience traveling by autonomous bus. Results show that the intention to use the autonomous buses was mostly positive both before and after using them. Most users felt safe while traveling by autonomous bus. Two suggestions for improvement made by the users were to: increase the speed and reduce the abrupt breaking of the autonomous buses. Overall, outcomes from this paper suggest that residents would be willing to use autonomous buses if these offer more frequent bus departures than the existing ones. However, as full automation has not been achieved yet and there is a host on board who can control the vehicle if necessary, passenger experiences and intentions to use should be reassessed with fully automated buses in future studies.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2020.12.007
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847820305921
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13698478
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2020 Kostas Mouratidis and Victoria Cobeña Serrano. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Mouratidis, Kostas
  • Cobeña Serrano, Victoria
• Publication Date: 2021-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Bibliography; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 321-335
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
  • Volume: 76
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1369-8478
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acceptance; Attitudes; Autonomous vehicles; Before and after studies; Improvements; Passengers; Perception; Residential areas; Safety; Transit buses
• Geographic Terms: Oslo (Norway)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01766171
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 26 2021 4:56PM