Unpacking the public acceptance of autonomous electric buses: Insights from a medium-sized Brazilian city

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2025

Subject Area

place - asia, place - europe, place - south america, place - urban, mode - bus, planning - surveys, technology - alternative fuels, technology - automatic vehicle monitoring, ridership - behaviour, ridership - modelling, ridership - perceptions, ridership - attitudes

Keywords

Autonomous electric buses, Technology acceptance, Autonomous public transport, Emerging economy

Abstract

Electric autonomous vehicles, including Autonomous Electric Buses (AEBs), offer significant societal benefits such as fewer accidents, reduced pollution, and enhanced driving efficiency, presenting a promising alternative to public transportation. While research on this subject exists in developed countries like Europe, China, and Germany, there remains a significant gap in our understanding of the acceptance of AEBs in emerging economies. Our study investigated the adoption factors of AEBs in a medium-sized Brazilian city by surveying 554 respondents. In our structural model, we adopted a hybrid approach that integrates elements from the modified Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The study's findings indicate that a positive attitude, perceived usefulness, initial trust, and subjective norm significantly influence Brazilian consumers' intention to use AEBs. The theoretical implications of this study involve the creation of a model that intricately merges elements from multiple existing frameworks (TAM, TPB, and UTAUT). This proposed model synthesizes key factors influencing the acceptance of AEBs in emerging economies, providing a foundation for developing effective public policies for urban logistics automation.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

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