Abstract
Mobility is experiencing a revolution, as advanced communications, computers with big data capacities, efficient networks of sensors, and signals, are developing value-added applications such as intelligent spaces and autonomous vehicles. Another new technology that is both promising and might even be pervasive for faster, safer and more environmentally-friendly public transport (PT) is the development of autonomous vehicles (AVs). This study aims to understand the state of the current research on the artificially intelligent transportation system (ITS) and AVs through a critical evaluation of peer-reviewed literature. This study’s findings revealed that the majority of existing research (around 82% of studies) focused on AVs. Results show that AVs can potentially reduce more than 80% of pollutant emissions per mile if powered by alternate energy resources (e.g., natural gas, biofuel, electricity, hydrogen cells, etc.). Not only can private vehicle ownership be cut down by bringing in ridesharing but the average vehicle miles travelled (VMT) should also be reduced through improved PT. The main benefits of AV adoption were reported in the literature to be travel time, traffic congestion, cost and environmental factors. Findings revealed barriers such as technological uncertainties, lack of regulation, unawareness among stakeholders and privacy and security concerns, along with the fact that lack of simulation and empirical modelling data from pilot studies limit the application. AV–PT was also found to be the most sustainable strategy in dense urban areas to shift the heavy trip load from private vehicles.
Highlights
The buzz around autonomous mobility, intelligent transportation system and smart cities has propelled the ventures of personal and public transit into new domains
Concept of autonomous vehicles was integrated with urban bus transit in the form of the United States Department of Transportation (US DoT)’s Vehicle Assist and Automation (VAA) programme, and California’s PATH, a completely automated highway bus fleet in 2003
The goal behind this paper was to critically analyse the state-of-the-art of the research on autonomous vehicles (AVs) and intelligent transportation system (ITS) transport systems, focused on establishing the research methodologies, main findings and limitations that can be researched in future works
Summary
The buzz around autonomous mobility, intelligent transportation system and smart cities has propelled the ventures of personal and public transit into new domains. Concept of autonomous vehicles was integrated with urban bus transit in the form of the United States Department of Transportation (US DoT)’s Vehicle Assist and Automation (VAA) programme (tested with 1 m spaced permanent magnetic markers over a 3-mile route in a maintenance yard), and California’s PATH, a completely automated highway bus fleet in 2003. While the VAA tests on buses were performed in 2014 by operating an equipped bus for 6–8 h/day, completely autonomous bus transit operations have yet to be developed, as most current systems require drivers with the partially automated speed or lane controls [1].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
