Young people’s travel behavior – Using the life-oriented approach to understand the acceptance of autonomous driving

The self-driving public bus (SDPB) holds the potential to replace human-operated driving with more eco-friendly means and is therefore a valuable mobility solution for our future. The SDPB is based on the innovative technology of autonomous driving, which can only be guaranteed future market success with broad enough user acceptance. This acceptance is thus an essential factor for the growth of SDPB services. In this context, the travel behavior of young people is particularly interesting, as its development will continually demonstrate future mobility behavior trends. However, little research has been conducted regarding the best methods for motivating young people to accept SDPBs as a viable mode of travel. To address this topic, we first conducted a literature review, identifying factors that potentially influence SDPB acceptance. Subsequently, we developed a comprehensive research model based on the life-oriented approach and the technology acceptance model. This conceptualization was validated by a survey of 268 SDPB riders in real-world traffic. The results reveal several novel factors influencing the acceptance of SDPBs, in particular regarding differences in age. Our research contributes to existing research on both the life-oriented and travel behavior approaches by highlighting age differences and their importance in the field. For instance, our findings demonstrate a vital need to account for age differences when deriving policy implications for future mobility solutions