Evaluating Students' Perceptions of Fully Autonomous Vehicles and Shared Mobility

Shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) have the potential to alter the current transportation landscape through improved safety, mobility, and affordability. Even sophisticated technology such as this convergence of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and shared mobility requires public acceptance for success, however, and mandates the assessment of public receptivity and opinions prior to their widespread deployment. Previous studies identified university-educated individuals as early adopters of emerging technologies such as Level 5 SAVs and inspired this researcher to explore how university students perceive fully autonomous vehicles and their integration into Rideshare Automation and Payment Integration Demonstration (RAPID), an autonomous ride-hailing service located in Arlington, Texas, as well as how attitudes change as automation levels rise. To achieve these objectives, a qualitative approach was utilized to conduct structured interviews with 20 participants and analyze the data collected using grounded theory. The results showed that RAPID users had a more favorable opinion of AV technology after first-hand exposure to them, and most respondents indicated a preference towards partially automated vehicles, which they attributed to the belief that AV technology is not mature enough yet to be fully operational without a human driver. Both RAPID users and non-users expressed concerns about riding in a Level 5 SAV without a safety attendant present. Insights from both prospective and current SAV users can help define recommendations for the successful integration of fully autonomous vehicles into the current transportation system.