On the Road with an Autonomous Passenger Shuttle

Abstract

The integration of autonomous vehicles (AVs) onto public roads presents both technical and social challenges. Public understanding and acceptance of AVs requires engagement with people who live in, work at or visit cities where they are deployed on public road networks. We investigate the impact of one of the first placements of AV passenger transport on public roadways: the Sion <<SmartShuttle>>. This latebreaking research presents preliminary results from interviews with local shopkeepers, residents, pedestrians and drivers to understand their attitudes and opinions of the shuttle. We also discuss videobased fieldwork that demonstrates how drivers negotiate next moves with one another through their windscreens using embodied signals such as gestures, lip-reading, and head nods to coordinate and manage a traffic situation. Finally, we consider the implications for how fully autonomous vehicles might be designed to take into account the subtle negotiations that road users engage in to coordinate with one another.

What impressions do users have after a ride in an automated shuttle? An interview study

“…The categories that emerged from the data represent the factors influencing the acceptance of automated shuttles as feeders to transport systems. These categories were compared to theoretical concepts from the literature (e.g., Eden et al, 2017aEden et al, , 2017bMeijkamp & Theunissen, 1996;Nordhoff, De Winter, Kyriakidis, et al, 2018;Nordhoff, De Winter, Madigan, et al, 2018;Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1985, 1988Redman, Friman, Gärling, & Hartig, 2013;Vöge & McDonald, 2003).…”

Acceptance of Driverless Vehicles: Results from a Large Cross-National Questionnaire Study

“…The Rise of Driverless Vehicles. Driverless vehicles are currently being developed in a number of commercial and research projects worldwide [1,2]. Shuttles that function as shared transport systems are a promising business case [3].…”

“What’s the Robo-Driver up to?” Requirements for Screen-based Awareness and Intent Communication in Autonomous Buses

“…Until now, only few studies have been conducted that look into the future acceptance of autonomous buses [20,6]. Recent demonstration projects of autonomous buses have shown that passengers feel rather safe in automated buses [5], but, as noted by Rehrl et al [23] this is likely caused by the presence of a human operator, who is required by law during all drives.…”