Barriers to AV Bus Acceptance: A U.S. National Survey and Research Agenda

Abstract

Automated Vehicle (AV) buses hold great potential, yet it is not clear if Americans will choose to ride them. Trust and attitudes, often influenced by individual differences, are vital predictors of technology acceptance and AVs are no exception. To deepen our understanding of individual differences as they pertain to AV buses, this paper presents the results of a national survey of 401 participants located in the United States of America. Findings from this survey indicate that individual differences influenced trust, attitude, and intention to ride AV buses. Specifically, trust in AV buses differed by individual's age and bus riding frequency while attitudes toward AV buses differed by individual's age, ethnicity, and bus riding frequency. Finally, intention to ride an AV bus differed by age, gender, ethnicity, and bus riding frequency. Based on these results, we propose a research agenda that seeks to inform future research on acceptance of AV buses.