Pool more, drive less: An investigation of barriers and motivators of ridepooling in autonomous vehicles

The integration of on-demand ridepooling services provided by autonomous vehicles into transportation systems offers a solution to mobility challenges in the future. If such services effectively enable travellers to share a vehicle instead of driving alone, higher vehicle occupancy rates would lead...

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Main Authors: Nora Studer, Dorothea Schaffner, Nicole Haiderer, Annalisa Stefanelli, Michael A.B. van Eggermond, Alexander Erath
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259019822500106X
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author Nora Studer
Dorothea Schaffner
Nicole Haiderer
Annalisa Stefanelli
Michael A.B. van Eggermond
Alexander Erath
author_facet Nora Studer
Dorothea Schaffner
Nicole Haiderer
Annalisa Stefanelli
Michael A.B. van Eggermond
Alexander Erath
author_sort Nora Studer
collection DOAJ
description The integration of on-demand ridepooling services provided by autonomous vehicles into transportation systems offers a solution to mobility challenges in the future. If such services effectively enable travellers to share a vehicle instead of driving alone, higher vehicle occupancy rates would lead to a more efficient use of existing road infrastructure. This in turn could help alleviate traffic congestion and its associated drawbacks. The acceptance of such autonomous ridepooling (aRP) services by prospective users is essential for their successful adoption. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to uncover the relevant factors that determine aRP acceptance and to better understand the drivers and barriers of aRP acceptance using a user-centered approach. Through 18 semi-structured in-depth interviews with a diverse range of participants, the study revealed the significance of performance expectations with regards to safety, comfort, flexibility, sustainability, and social aspects in shaping acceptance for aRP. Notably, ambivalent attitudes and controversial perceptions of these factors as well as differences between public transport and private car users underscore the importance of customer segmentation and tailored strategies for the design and promotion of aRP services. Findings emphasize the need for aRP services to prioritize user-centric approaches to enable the adoption and facilitate the integration of aRP as a more sustainable option into future transportation systems.
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language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
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series Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
spelling doaj-art-ef4414b24d9d43a19e4036a785a346e92025-08-20T02:10:02ZengElsevierTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives2590-19822025-05-013110142710.1016/j.trip.2025.101427Pool more, drive less: An investigation of barriers and motivators of ridepooling in autonomous vehiclesNora Studer0Dorothea Schaffner1Nicole Haiderer2Annalisa Stefanelli3Michael A.B. van Eggermond4Alexander Erath5School of Applied Psychology University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Riggenbachstrasse 16, Olten 4600, SwitzerlandSchool of Applied Psychology University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Riggenbachstrasse 16, Olten 4600, Switzerland; Corresponding author.School of Applied Psychology University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Riggenbachstrasse 16, Olten 4600, SwitzerlandSchool of Applied Psychology University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Riggenbachstrasse 16, Olten 4600, Switzerland; Institute for Applied Psychology IAP Basel AG, Greifengasse 1, Basel, 4058, SwitzerlandSchool of Architecture, Construction and Geomatics, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Hofackerstrasse 30, Muttenz 4132, SwitzerlandSchool of Architecture, Construction and Geomatics, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Hofackerstrasse 30, Muttenz 4132, SwitzerlandThe integration of on-demand ridepooling services provided by autonomous vehicles into transportation systems offers a solution to mobility challenges in the future. If such services effectively enable travellers to share a vehicle instead of driving alone, higher vehicle occupancy rates would lead to a more efficient use of existing road infrastructure. This in turn could help alleviate traffic congestion and its associated drawbacks. The acceptance of such autonomous ridepooling (aRP) services by prospective users is essential for their successful adoption. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to uncover the relevant factors that determine aRP acceptance and to better understand the drivers and barriers of aRP acceptance using a user-centered approach. Through 18 semi-structured in-depth interviews with a diverse range of participants, the study revealed the significance of performance expectations with regards to safety, comfort, flexibility, sustainability, and social aspects in shaping acceptance for aRP. Notably, ambivalent attitudes and controversial perceptions of these factors as well as differences between public transport and private car users underscore the importance of customer segmentation and tailored strategies for the design and promotion of aRP services. Findings emphasize the need for aRP services to prioritize user-centric approaches to enable the adoption and facilitate the integration of aRP as a more sustainable option into future transportation systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259019822500106XRidepoolingAutonomous vehiclesTechnology acceptance modelUser-centered service design
spellingShingle Nora Studer
Dorothea Schaffner
Nicole Haiderer
Annalisa Stefanelli
Michael A.B. van Eggermond
Alexander Erath
Pool more, drive less: An investigation of barriers and motivators of ridepooling in autonomous vehicles
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Ridepooling
Autonomous vehicles
Technology acceptance model
User-centered service design
title Pool more, drive less: An investigation of barriers and motivators of ridepooling in autonomous vehicles
title_full Pool more, drive less: An investigation of barriers and motivators of ridepooling in autonomous vehicles
title_fullStr Pool more, drive less: An investigation of barriers and motivators of ridepooling in autonomous vehicles
title_full_unstemmed Pool more, drive less: An investigation of barriers and motivators of ridepooling in autonomous vehicles
title_short Pool more, drive less: An investigation of barriers and motivators of ridepooling in autonomous vehicles
title_sort pool more drive less an investigation of barriers and motivators of ridepooling in autonomous vehicles
topic Ridepooling
Autonomous vehicles
Technology acceptance model
User-centered service design
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259019822500106X
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