Man vs. Machine: Comparing a Fully Automated Bus Shuttle with a Manually Driven Group Taxi in a Field Study

Automated driving functions are traditionally tested in on-road studies, however, mainly focusing on technological aspects (sensor accuracy, etc.). Field studies addressing users' individual needs and expectations are still rare. As a consequence, it is still unclear whether or not automated driving systems will reach a comprehensive market penetration. To address this issue, we set-up a user study and compared users' acceptance (utilizing TAM) as a passenger (N=12) of a traditional group taxi vs. an automated bus shuttle both driving in regular traffic. Results show that participants questioned the usefulness of the automated bus shuttle, mainly due to the reduced speed, but, on the other hand, rated their perceived ease of use and their attitude towards using the ADS more positive than expected. Thus, we conclude that with further development of the technology and by including a user-centered design approach, high user acceptance of ADSs can finally be achieved.