Sharing automated vehicles (AVs) is a possible future, where shared automated vehicles (SAVs) and pooled automated vehicles (PooledAVs) are prospective on-demand AV configurations. While SAVs and PooledAVs can contribute to the sustainability of transport systems, the success of on-demand AVs depends on whether and how the public adopts them as regular travel modes. As such, this dissertation investigates five objectives: (1) to scrutinize the essential steps of designing a future mobility survey , while the primary focus of the survey is on respondents’ intentions to adopt various AV configurations (2) to propose and validate a theoretical model for on-demand AV adoption by extending the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), (3) to identify the prospective use cases of SAVs as the potential precursor of on-demand AVs, (4) to identify individual characteristics that may trigger different behavioral intentions among the on-demand AV service types, and finally (5) to investigate Canadians’ intentions to adopt on-demand AVs. A nationwide Canadian survey was designed and administered in fall 2021 (n = 5002) among adults (18 to 75 years old) residing in six major Canadian metropolitan areas: Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montréal, Calgary, and Hamilton. The findings of this dissertation paint a complex picture of on-demand AV adoption in the Canadian context with respect to the application of constructs from common technology adoption models and will help researchers investigating the characteristics of prospective consumers of on-demand AVs to identify the importance of affective motivations regarding adopting such emerging travel modes. The results reveal that many Canadians are yet either uncertain or reluctant to adopt AV technology in shared mobility services. In this light, policymakers and planners should adjust and moderate their expectations regarding the future market for on-demand AVs and be prepared for potential changes in travel behavior by examining incremental changes in existing on-demand ride-hailing services. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This dissertation assesses the conditions under which Canadians are willing to use fully automated vehicles (AVs) and investigates public perceptions and intentions to use “automated ride-hailing services,” which function as a taxi or Uber/Lyft service without a driver, and “pooled automated ride-hailing services,” which are a form of ride-hailing services, where passengers share a ride with someone they do not know to save on the cost of travel. To this end, an online survey (n = 5002) was designed and administered in October and November 2021 across six major Canadian metropolitan areas: Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, Calgary, and Hamilton. Overall, results suggest that expectations towards AVs suddenly transforming the entire transportation sector, should be moderated and “automated ride-hailing services” and “pooled automated ride-hailing services” (when they are available in the entire Canadian market) are likely to be adopted as a supplementary mobility tool rather than a substitution for current travel modes.

As more and more shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) are introduced in mixed traffic conditions, it calls upon research exploring the relationship between an SAV and its passengers. It is assumed that in the future SAVs will be completely autonomous, with no operator on-board, resulting in the loss of implicit communication between a driver and a passenger with effects on trust. This served as motivation to perform a study investigating the definition of trust from the passenger’s perspective. Initially a state-of-the-art study was conducted to research previous work and identify existing trust frameworks. Three field studies took place on an operational SAV which included interviews and observations with on-board operator and passengers. The aim of which was to understand the trust dynamics between the operator and passenger but more importantly, between the SAV and its passengers. The results revealed dependency on the operator during the commute in deadlock situations. To investigate trust attributes, interviews and observations were conducted with passengers of a regular bus as well as experts from the field of transportation. Situational awareness of the SAV and communication of SAV intention were deemed most important towards building trust with caution towards information overload. Furthermore, three participatory design studies conducted showed a multi-modal approach as the preferred way of communication, with visual and auditory modalities being the most favorable choice. The overall results showed that a communication and feedback channel with an SAV and its passengers is necessary in creating trust in the absence of a driver. Future studies could use the findings from this thesis as the building blocks for creating a communication interface to enhance passengers trust in an SAV. / Fler och fler autonoma fordon (SAV) introduceras i den vanliga trafikmiljön, vilket kräver ökad förståelse för relationen mellan SAV:er och dess passagerare. I framtiden förutsätts SAV:er kunna bli hela autonoma utan varken en förare eller operatör ombord, vilket ändrar förutsättningarna. Det skulle innebära en förlust av den implicita (“tysta”) kommunikationen mellan förare och passagerare, vilket är bakgrunden för denna studie om passagerares förtroende för SAV:er. Studien innehåller fyra delar. Först en översikt av den senaste forskningen om upplevt förtroende, vilket skapar ett forskningsmässigt ramverk. Tre fältstudier gjordes ombord en SAV vilket inkluderade både intervjuer och observation av passagerare och operatörer. Syftet var att förstå dynamiken både mellan operatören och passageraren samt mellan SAV:n och passageraren. Resultaten visar på att fordonet, och därmed passagerarna, fortfarande är beroende av operatören i situationer när fordonet fastnade på grund av problem i trafikmiljön. Den tredje delen av studie handlade om att undersöka olika parametrar för förtroende och genomfördes med hjälp av intervjuer och observationer av passagerare på en vanlig buss samt genom intervjuer med experter från transportbranschen. Det tydligaste resultatet var att SAV:n behövde vara medveten om närmiljön och att visa förståelse och kommunicera sin avsikt var den faktor som var viktigast för att bygga förtroende. Samtidigt fanns risk för ett överflöd av information. Slutligen genomfördes tre designövningar med användare vilket visade på ett behov av kommunikation med hjälp av flera kanaler, där den visuella och ljudmässiga kanaler föredrogs av de flesta användare. Resultaten tyder på att kommunikation och återkoppling är nödvändigt för att skapa förtroende mellan SAV:er och dess passagerare. Framtida studier bör därför fokusera på att skapa ett gränssnitt mot passagerare som bygger på dessa resultat.