Public Opinion on Route 12: Interim report on the second survey on the pilot experiment of an automated bus service in Neuhausen am Rheinfall

Abstract

Due to the potential advantages of autonomous vehicles for individual travellers and to the transportation system as a whole, it is essential to monitor public perception on this particular technological development. The execution of test runs with autonomous vehicles offers a good opportunity to do so. Associated with the introduction of Route 12 in Neuhausen am Rheinfall on the 27th of March 2018, the Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP) at ETH Zurich carried out a panel survey on the public perception of the test run as well as autonomous driving in general. In general, the test lab in Neuhausen am Rheinfall provides an excellent opportunity to assess whether and how such trials affect public perception, specifically regarding doubts and fears from a scientific perspective. The current report describes the process of data collection and presents the results for the second of three planned surveys in the Canton of Schaffhausen that was carried out between November 2018 and January 2019 among 957 respondents recruited from the first survey (response rate 81.7%). The results can be summarized as follows: ‐ Awareness of the test run increased by approximately 20 percentage points to 80%. ‐ Public perception of Route 12 and autonomous driving in general remained stable on high levels. ‐ Both residents and passengers assess the project of Route 12 as worthwhile. ‐ The agreement with test runs, slightly but significantly, increased. ‐ A total of 20,251 passengers used the bus in 2018, which is an average of 72 passengers per day. Generally, significantly more passengers were registered on weekends and hotter days. ‐ Ride experience with Route 12 is vastly rated as positive, both among residents and general passengers.