Shared benefits and sustainable mobility – A case of autonomous bus

Prior research has found that people’s intentions to use autonomous technologies such as autonomous buses largely depend on factors like trust towards the technology, while little is known about the role played by the shared benefits. Unlike benefits obtained by the individual user of technologies, shared benefits are commonly societal benefits shared by users. We formulated hypotheses to explore the role of shared benefits in driving the use intention of autonomous buses and tested the model with survey data collected from people living in the greater Helsinki metropolitan area. We analyzed data using Covariance-based SEM, and our results show that perceived shared benefits are among the most vital indicators of autonomous bus use intention. To promote citizens’ acceptance of autonomous buses, the public transport authorities and bus operators should ensure that autonomous buses deliver shared benefits through service that is environmentally friendly, comfortable, easy to use, and accessible for all.