Travelers’ preferences regarding autonomous mobility in the State of Qatar

Abstract

Autonomous mobility is gaining increasing attraction in the international setting that results in a growing body of literature on various aspects. Preferences regarding the use of autonomous vehicles as an alternative transport mode are investigated in western and advanced countries as it provides the notion about what fraction of population will more inclined towards such technology and under what circumstances. This study focused on investigating travel preferences regarding autonomous mobility (in the form of privately owned AV (PAV) and shared AV (SAV) (such as on-demand taxi service). As a case study, the State of Qatar is studied and analyzed. A stated preference survey was designed and executed in a web-based questionnaire platform. Overall, data from n = 315 respondents were analyzed, and travel mode choice behavior was modeled using a logit model for the examination of travelers' preferences. The results indicate that there exists a reluctance to prefer PAV and SAV, over a regular car (NC) while public transport (PT) is the least preferred mode. The comfort level that a vehicle can offer is found to be one of the most important factors for Qatari residents. Students and unemployed individuals have shown an inclination towards SAV while full-time employed individuals have shown a higher preference for PAVs. These results are helpful for government agencies and AVs marketing companies to develop plans and policies in line with travelers' preferences.