Autonomous Bus Operation Alternatives in Urban Areas Using Fuzzy Dombi-Bonferroni Operator Based Decision Making Model

Abstract

Advances in V2V, V2I, and autonomous vehicle technologies have made autonomous buses possible in cities. Soon, autonomous bus operations will be common in urban areas, which will improve sustainability, safety, and the city’s technology. These buses have different operation types. Each operation has advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the goal of this study is to serve as a guide for decision-makers during the transition to autonomous buses. Four alternatives are evaluated based on eleven criteria organized under four main aspects, namely autonomous buses for special uses, autonomous buses for last-mile uses, autonomous cars in mixed traffic, and autonomous buses in closed systems. We propose an Ordinal Priority Approach (OPA) method for determining the criteria weights and application of fuzzy Dombi Bonferroni (DOBI) methodology for the evaluation of alternatives. When compared to the other three alternatives in this study, the results show that deploying autonomous buses in mixed traffic is the most advantageous option.