Abstract
The absence of a human driver creates novel challenges for fully automated public transport. Passengers are likely to have different expectations, needs, or even fears when traveling without a driver in potentially dangerous situations. We present the results from two field studies in which we explored incident management in a driverless shuttle bus. We explored participant’s behavior and willingness to assist in solving problems in a variety of scenarios where the bus suddenly stops for technical reasons or a hypothesized situation of harassment. In a follow-up study, we focused on auditory remote assistance and investigated problem solving through the passengers. We found that diffusion of responsibility is an existent barrier, when passengers are involved in the resolving of potentially dangerous situations. It can be overcome, when incident-relevant instructions are designed explicitly, briefly, timely, distinguishable from regular on-trip information, and address auditory and visual sensory channels alike.
Highlights
Beyond efforts to steadily increase the degree of automation for individual transportation, automated buses are increasingly in the focus of research, development, and deployment efforts [1]
Achieving full automation (i.e., SAE level 5 [5]) in on-road public transport is considered a vital step to achieve Vision Zero, which refers to the goal of eliminating casualties and reducing serious injuries caused by on-road accidents—and both connected and automated vehicles are Alexander G
Vehicle automation is expected to help achieve vision zero by reducing—and eventually eliminating—human errors. This means that the vehicle does not merely replace the human driver role, it must surpass it in order to perform better than a human driver would
Summary
Beyond efforts to steadily increase the degree of automation for individual transportation (i.e., cars), automated buses are increasingly in the focus of research, development, and deployment efforts [1]. Today, automated shuttles are available for purchase from several manufacturers—most predominantly from several France-based companies [2, 3] but there are others as well [4] Be it the Navya Arma, the EasyMile EZ10, or the Local Motors Olli—all of them aim to eventually provide a completely driverless vehicle that is fully capable of safely and efficiently completing all driving tasks in the relevant (urban or rural) traffic environments. Vehicle automation is expected to help achieve vision zero by reducing—and eventually eliminating—human errors. This means that the vehicle does not merely replace the human driver role, it must surpass it in order to perform better than a human driver would.
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