Journal article
Before and after riding: changing comfort attitude towards autonomous shuttles from perspectives as riders, drivers, and pedestrians
Transportation research. Part A, Policy and practice, v 199, 104613
Sep 2025
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Automated vehicle (AV) shuttles are emerging mobility technologies that have been widely piloted and deployed. Public attitude is critical to the deployment progress and the overall social benefits of automated vehicle (AV) technologies. The AV shuttle demonstration was regarded as a good way for possible attitude improvements. However, not all existing AV shuttle technologies are mature and reliable enough. Some frustrating uncomfortable issues in AV shuttle demonstrations may adversely affect public attitudes toward AV technologies. Studying the impact of the comfort of the demonstration on attitudinal change can help us provide guidance for future demonstrations. Thanks to the AV shuttle project piloted at Dunedin, Florida, this paper interviewed 161 people before and after taking an open road AV shuttle ride. In addition to the participant’s demographic information, driving-related information, and psychological-related information, we collected the AV shuttles’ operation status (e.g., abrupt brake). A series of discrete outcome models were employed to estimate the factors influencing people’s initial opinions before the AV shuttle ride and people’s attitudes change after the ride. The most important finding is that an unsatisfactory riding experience could negatively affect participants’ attitudes toward AV shuttles. Particularly, the number of abrupt brakes raises more concerns when the participants are drivers who share the rights of way with the AV shuttle compared to when the participants are pedestrians or AV shuttle riders. Moreover, the participants’ attitudes toward sharing public space with AV shuttles as pedestrians and human drivers exhibited more negative changes compared with simply riding on AV shuttles. These results improve our understanding of public attitudes toward the existing AV technologies and help identify new opportunities to improve AV technology adoption.
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Details
- Title
- Before and after riding: changing comfort attitude towards autonomous shuttles from perspectives as riders, drivers, and pedestrians
- Creators
- Keke Long - University of Wisconsin–MadisonXiaowei Shi - University of Wisconsin–MilwaukeeYang Li - University of Wisconsin–MadisonZhiwei Chen - Drexel UniversityYuan Wang - University of South FloridaXiaopeng Li - University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Publication Details
- Transportation research. Part A, Policy and practice, v 199, 104613
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 17
- Grant note
- National Science Foundation: 1932452 National Institute for Congestion Reduction: 01751326
The authors thank the National Science Foundation Grants CMMI #1932452 and the National Institute for Congestion Reduction #01751326 for funding this study.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001541162600002
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105011413598
- Other Identifier
- 991022065638604721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Economics
- Transportation
- Transportation Science & Technology