Yang Liao

While the emergence of shared autonomous vehicles can be an effective solution to improve transport issues and achieve sustainable development, the benefits associated with shared autonomous vehicles can only be realized when the public intends to use them. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct an in-depth study on the public’s intention to use shared autonomous vehicles and identify the key influencing factors. This study mined social media data to obtain real public perceptions. A qualitative exploratory analysis was used to identify thematic variables regarding social media data on shared autonomous vehicles, from which a research model of the public’s intention to use SAVs was proposed. Then, a questionnaire survey was conducted, and the structural equation model and Bayesian network were used to analyze the questionnaire data quantitatively. The findings reveal how perceived risk, social information, trust, perceived usefulness, and personality traits affect the public’s intention to use shared autonomous vehicles, and how to enhance the public’s intention to use them. This study will enrich the research on traveler psychology in the context of intelligent travel and provide theoretical basis and decision support for future policies to promote shared autonomous vehicles.

Shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) have the advantages of both autonomous driving technology and shared transportation, which is an important development direction for intelligent and green transportation in the future. However, a lack of trust and a high perceived risk have reduced the public’s willingness to use this mode of travel. To improve the public’s willingness to use it, many scholars have conducted research, but young people are still a neglected group. A structural equation model was used to test the models based on 316 survey samples. The results indicated that initial trust had a significant positive effect on the intention to use SAVs, while perceived security risk and perceived privacy risk had no significant effect on the intention to use, but perceived security risk can indirectly negatively affect the intention to use. In addition, attitude and face consciousness had a significant positive influence on intention to use, while subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and perceived usefulness had a significant indirect positive influence on intention to use SAVs. The findings showed that the model used in this paper was reasonable and valid for explaining young people’s willingness to use SAVs. This will provide guidance for formulating more effective strategies for this group.