Experience and Acceptance of an Autonomous Shuttle in the Brussels Capital Region

A successful implementation of autonomous vehicles will depend to a great extent on the acceptance of users. The individual attitudes regarding AVs are crucial in the adoption of this technology. Numerous autonomous shuttle projects have been deployed worldwide to gather insights on the technical behavior of these shuttles. Certain projects have a specific focus on user experience and acceptance of autonomous technology. As mobility patterns vary across geographic regions, the current paper investigates the user acceptance of an autonomous shuttle in the Brussels capital region with 220 respondents, 145 of which are shuttle passengers, 75 are other road users. The survey includes questions and recommendations from previous experience studies as well as relevant items from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). Aside from the vehicle passengers, also other road users in the proximity of the shuttle were invited to fill out a survey. The results from the study provide interesting insights for both passengers and other road users. Both groups are overall optimistic and positive towards AVs. Furthermore, adding an autonomous shuttle to traffic does not significantly influence the feeling of safety. Lastly, men are found to be more positive towards AVs than women.