Study Shows Passengers Are Positive About Self-Driving Buses

Volvo investigated how passengers feel about travelling on a self-driving bus and how they believe it will affect the future of commuting. The research is the first to be done with a 12-metre bus for city traffic.

Self-Driving Buses

Together with Västtrafik and Chalmers University of Technology, Volvo Buses conducted two scientific studies on user experience. One of the newly published studies investigated how bus drivers respond to the idea of a self-driving vehicles. In the other study, the focus is instead on passengers.

“In order for us to be able to take advantage of the benefits of autonomous buses in the future, passenger acceptance is absolutely crucial.” Said Joakim Jonsson, Project Manager Autonomous Research Projects at Volvo Buses.

He also said, “As far as we know, no similar research has been done with full-length buses, which makes this study extra exciting,”

The study was conducted with a self-driving electric bus on a test track and in a confined area. Twenty-two passengers of all ages who use public transportation were allowed to see how the bus handled nine different traffic conditions. They drove on roads with roundabouts and picked up people at a stop, and drove in tight spaces with passing cyclists, pedestrians, and cars.

Following the test, participants were interviewed by Chalmers researchers and asked to complete a questionnaire. According to the results, most participants believed it was a very positive experience, and the bus ran safely, smoothly, and comfortably. Those who were initially uncomfortable with not having a driver behind the wheel adapted quickly to it.

“When the participants saw how the bus regulated speed and acted in relation to other road users, they thought it was just like a trip with a regular bus,” said Joakim Jonsson.

Many passengers saw several potential benefits to having autonomous buses in public transport, including better comfort and increased safety. But they did not think that their own commuting would be affected if all standard buses were replaced exclusively by self-driving vehicles.

“In the study, it became very clear that it is not whether the bus is driven by a person or if its autonomous that determines how commuters view public transport. The most important thing is that you can get from one place to another as smoothly as possible,” said Mikael Johansson. He researches user understanding of self-driving vehicles at Chalmers’ Design & Human Factors department.

Participants believe that self-driving technology could develop new services that would improve public transport, such as more flexible stops and greater accessibility in sparsely populated areas.

“These answers show how important it is not to look at autonomous technology as an end, but as something that can enable other services that commuters need,” says Mikael Johansson.

For Volvo Buses, the passenger study provides important insights into the autonomous journey.“This kind of research in passenger acceptance is vital even though it´s long before it becomes a reality. We believe the first real-life application of autonomous technology will be in the form of autonomous driver support systems or in confined areas,” says Joakim Jonsson.

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