Acceptance of Automated Road Transport Systems (ARTS): an adaptation of the UTAUT model

As research into innovative forms of automated transportation systems gains momentum, it is important that we develop an understanding of the factors that will impact the adoption of these systems. In an effort to address this issue, the European project CityMobil2 is collecting data around large-scale demonstrations of Automated Road Transport Systems (ARTS) in a number of cities across Europe. For these systems to be successful, user acceptance is vital. The current study used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to investigate the factors which might influence acceptance of ARTS vehicles, which were operational in two locations in Europe. The results indicate that the UTAUT constructs of performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence were all useful predictors of behavioural intentions to use ARTS, with performance expectancy having the strongest impact. However, it would appear that other factors are also needed in order for the model to strongly predict behavioural intentions in an automated transport context. Based on these findings, a number of implications for developers and ideas for future research are suggested.