Driverless shuttles in local public transport: acceptance and attitudes among the population

Abstract

A variety of case studies are currently testing both the technology and the operation of driverless vehicles in public transport. One of these is the “Shuttle-Modellregion Oberfranken”. In order to gain insights into the attitudes of the people, an acceptance study was conducted. The results indicate that there is a pronounced willingness to use the system, but obviously excessively high expectations too: with the use of driverless shuttles, people expect flexible departures and a high frequency, punctuality and new lines, better accessibility and services at off-peak times. The current generation of vehicles is unable to meet these expectations. For this reason, it is necessary to pay particular attention to the socio-cultural expectations. A discrepancy between the societal narrative, personal expectations and the given performance of the vehicles could compromise this acceptance.