Reliability is key to AV acceptance, finds Dutch study

Reliability is the key factor in people’s acceptance of autonomous vehicles, suggests a new academic study. Nine out of ten people said it was easy to use 2getthere’s Parkshuttle, operated by the Dutch municipality of Capelle aan den Ijssel. Four out of five respondents said the system - which connects Rivium business park and metro station Kralingse Zoom - is reliable, mainly because of its frequency and punctuality. The qualitative study from Utrecht University also focused on operational factors
August 31, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Reliability is the key factor in people’s acceptance of autonomous vehicles, suggests a new academic study. Nine out of ten people said it was easy to use 8172 2getthere’s Parkshuttle, operated by the Dutch municipality of Capelle aan den Ijssel.


Four out of five respondents said the system - which connects Rivium business park and metro station Kralingse Zoom - is reliable, mainly because of its frequency and punctuality.

The qualitative study from 5584 Utrecht University also focused on operational factors include safety and security, travel time, information services, price and payment system, comfort and integration in the public transport network.

The author, by Jochem van der Burg, hopes that the insights gained could be used in the decision-making process around autonomous transit systems elsewhere.

When it came to safety, ParkShuttle passengers felt criminal activity on the vehicles was very unlikely - despite the absence of an on-board steward.

These findings, according to Van den Burg, contrast with passengers in a similar demonstration in Vantaa, Finland, who provided a low score for security – even though their AV was manned.

The disparity could stem from Parkshuttle’s larger passenger capacity of 24 which results in more “social control” when measured against the limit of ten riders per trip in the Finnish driverless bus.

Robbert Lohmann, CCO of 2getthere, believes it is also important that the Utrecht University study was based on a service which has been operational since 2006.

“Finnish respondents were asked for their impressions after a ride in a temporary demonstration, meaning their response is more likely based on expectation than actual experience,” Lohmann adds.

The Dutch study also shows only half of the riders feel positive about the travel information provided at stations - and nearly all say there is a lack of information about delays and cancellations.

Going forward, 2getthere intends to install information kiosks at shuttle stops to display system status and the vehicle’s arrival time. ParkShuttle’s current single information displays will be replaced by two 19” vertical touch screens which will display information on travel time.

Related Content

  • February 20, 2019
    StreetLight Data maps future
    Laura Schewel of StreetLight Data talks to Adam Hill about the importance of measuring what you do – and about how paint will remain perhaps the most important piece of technology in the city planners’ armoury for a decade to come Transportation is dangerous, responsible for 30% of global cargo emissions today. Some experts believe that it will be responsible for 80% by 2050. And that’s before you even get on to the safety question - just ask tech entrepreneur Laura Schewel. “Transportation is getting wo
    Read More
  • March 4, 2014
    Open data gives new lease of life to public travel information screens
    David Crawford finds resurgent interest in travel information screens for buildings. With city governments worldwide increasingly opening up and sharing their public transport data for general use, attention is focusing on the potential financial benefits – to transit operators and businesses more widely. Professor Stephen Goldsmith, who directs the US’ Harvard University’s Data-Smart City Solutions Project says: “Amid nationwide public-sector budget cuts, open data is providing a road map for improving tra
    Read More
  • April 22, 2016
    SMRT Services and 2Getthere JV to bring automated vehicles to Asia-Pacific
    SMRT Services and 2Getthere have formed a joint venture to market, supply and operate 2getthere’s automated vehicle systems in the Asia-Pacific region. The new Singapore-based JV, 2getthere Asia, will jointly market, install, operate and maintain the Automated Vehicle systems for customers in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific. The JV aims to showcase 2getthere’s third generation Group Rapid Transit (GRT) vehicle capabilities in Singapore by the end of the year, highlighting the vehicle’s new features.
    Read More
  • May 10, 2019
    SafeRide: it’s time to act on cyberattacks
    Cyber threats are increasing rapidly and conventional security measures are unable to keep up. Ben Spencer talks to SafeRide’s Gil Reiter about what OEMs can do now As more vehicles become connected, so the potential threats to their security increase. Gil Reiter, vice president of product management for security firm SafeRide, says the biggest ‘attack surface’ for connected cars is their internet connectivity - and the in-vehicle applications that use the internet connection. “The most vulnerable co
    Read More

Highlighted Content