Public Perception of UAM: Are we ready for the new mobility that we have dreamed of?

Abstract

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has lately emerged as a time-saving mode of air transportation in congested urban areas. However, several challenges to the commercialization and adoption of UAM vehicles exist, such as licensing and restrictions, security, and construction infrastructure. Besides these, public perception is one of the significant aspects of easing psychological stress and representing users’ needs. A survey study was carried out to understand the public perception of UAM and to comprehend how the public perceives and expects UAM aircraft in terms of user requirement analysis as part of human-centered design. To achieve this, a total of 2,847 valid data sets were analyzed. A preliminary data analysis revealed the general level of awareness of UAM machines, expected costs and values for specific scenarios, perceived advantages of UAM vehicles, and overall opinion, along with distinctions based on demographic information such as age groups, residential areas, and income levels. Future research topics might include in-depth data analysis and subsequent user surveys to discover underlying requirements.