People's Attitudes Toward Automated Vehicle and Transit Integration: Case Study of Small Urban Areas

Previous surveys of public attitudes toward automated vehicle (AV) and transit integration primarily took place in large urban areas. AV-transit integration also has a great potential in small urban areas. A survey of public attitudes towards AV-transit integration was carried out in two small urban areas in Wisconsin, United States. A total of 266 finished responses were analyzed using text mining, factor analysis, and regression analysis. Results showed that respondents knew about AVs and driving assistance technologies. Respondents welcome AV-transit integration but were unsure about its potential impacts. Technology-savvy respondents were more positive but had more concerns about AV-transit integration than others. Respondents who enjoyed driving were not necessarily against transit, as they were more positive about AV-transit integration and were more willing to use automated buses than those who did not enjoy driving as much. Transit users were more positive toward AV-transit integration than non-transit users.