HOW AUTONOMOUS BUS TRIALS AFFECT PASSENGERS’ VIEWS: EXPLORING THE GAP BETWEEN PRE-RIDE EXPECTATIONS AND REAL WORD EXPERIENCE

Abstract

The study investigates passengers’ perceptions of a real-world trial involving a level 4 full-sized Automated Bus (AB) operating as a commercial service on a 22 km inter-urban route along public roads in East Scotland. By focusing on a trial, where the AB navigates mixed traffic, different road types (including motorways) and operates at speeds of up to 80 km/h, this research fills a significant gap in the existing literature, which has offered limited exploration of passenger AB experiences in such complex and realistic operational environments. The contribution of this study lies in providing a comprehensive analysis of passenger expectations and satisfaction, considering both the automated driving technology and the service in all its aspects, while also taking into account their interactions. Results (n = 490) revealed generally positive views from passengers with 61.7 % indicating that the AB technology exceeded their expectations and 71.1 % expressing a high likelihood of recommending the service to others. A binary probit model with random parameters showed satisfaction with ride smoothness and vehicle noise, low pre-ride expectations, and a willingness to use unstaffed ABs were key determinants of post-trial evaluation. In addition, frequency of bus use and gender were found to have mixed effects. A second binary probit model found that high pre-trial expectations, infrequent car use, and frequent bus use influenced the net promoter score, with satisfaction with AB driving style and with service characteristics having heterogeneous effects. These findings offer valuable insights for the transport industry, guiding their future developments and strategies for the successful implementation of AB technology.