Identification of Contributory Factors That Affect the Willingness to Use Shared Autonomous Vehicles

Abstract

Shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) aspire to change not only vehicles but also the way people and goods move in urban areas. However, the promotion of such services, that is, whether travelers are willing to share their trips with other service users, is still a challenge. This study aims to examine the contributory factors that influence the willingness of individuals to use shared autonomous vehicles by simultaneously identifying the differences in terms of preferences with conventional competitive transport modes, namely, private cars and public transport. A stated preference experiment combined with perception ratings was designed and conducted in Athens, Greece. Based on the collected responses, a multinomial logit model was estimated. The results show that the flexibility of SAVs and, particularly, the possibility of performing door-to-door trips has a serious added value that travelers are willing to pay. Compared with public transport, additional waiting time does not increase the disutility. Furthermore, people who belong to high-education and -income groups expressed a higher willingness to use SAVs and socialize while traveling. The familiarity of each potential user with technology is a necessary precondition. Lastly, it is confirmed that environmentally conscious people are more positive about using these new services.