Capacity Management in an Automated Shuttle Bus: Findings from a Lab Study

Driverless shuttles bear different and novel challenges for passengers. One of these is related to capacity management, as such shuttles are often smaller (usually from 6 to 12 seats) with limited capacities to (re-)assign seating, control reservations, or arrange travels for groups that exceed a shuttle’s capacity. Since a bus driver is missing, passengers need to resolve conflicts or uncertainties on their own, unless additional systems provide such support. In this paper, we present the results from a laboratory study, in which we investigated passenger needs in relation to booking and reserving spots (seats, standing spots, and strollers) in an automated shuttle. We found that such functionalities have a low-to-medium impact on an overall scale but could constitute exclusion criteria for more vulnerable parts of the population, such as older adults, families with small children, or physically impaired individuals.