Investigating mode choice behavior incorporating psychographic market segmentation for underground rapid shared autonomous vehicle service

Authors

• Sehyun Park
• Sunho Kim
• Shin-Hyung Cho

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2025

Subject Area

place - asia, place - urban, land use - urban density, planning - surveys, ridership - behaviour, ridership - mode choice, ridership - modelling, technology - automatic vehicle monitoring, technology - intelligent transport systems

Keywords

Shared autonomous vehicle, Underground transport service, Psychographic factors, Market segmentation, Travel behavior, Stated preference

Abstract

The prolonged transition period towards autonomous vehicles necessitates dedicated infrastructure to maximize operational safety and efficiency. This study proposes an innovative underground rapid shared autonomous vehicle (SAV) service designed for dense urban environments with limited surface capacity. Recognizing the importance of user acceptance in adopting emerging mobility technologies, the research employs psychographic segmentation and discrete choice modeling derived from a comprehensive stated preference survey involving 882 respondents in Seoul, Korea. Respondents were segmented into three psychographic segments: Time-Sensitive AV Adopters (TSAA), Time-Sensitive AV Hesitators (TSAH), and Cost-Conscious Traditional Actives (CCTA). The market-segmented multinomial logit models for each segment revealed that TSAA respondents demonstrated the highest propensity for SAV adoption, driven by their high valuation of travel time savings and strong acceptance of autonomous technology. Conversely, TSAH displayed cautious optimism toward AV adoption, necessitating assurances regarding service reliability and comfort. CCTA respondents, characterized by strong cost-sensitivity and conservative transportation preferences, exhibited the lowest willingness to adopt SAV. The study highlights the effectiveness of psychographic market segmentation in explaining mode choice behaviors toward SAV. This approach can effectively facilitate the broader acceptance of automated mobility services in densely populated metropolitan areas.

Rights

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

Comments

Research in Transportation Economics Home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/07398859

Recommended Citation

Park, S., Kim, S., & Cho, S. H. (2025). Investigating mode choice behavior incorporating psychographic market segmentation for underground rapid shared autonomous vehicle service. Research in Transportation Economics, 114, 101669.