J.D. Power has released the findings from its inaugural U.S. Robotaxi Experience study, providing insights on consumer feedback regarding fully autonomous ridehailing services, including those provided by Cruise and Waymo. The study found that most consumers are not comfortable with the deployment and testing of robotaxis on local public roads. However, the study also found that robotaxi riders tend to have a positive experience with the service.
The new study was fielded in July of the 2023 calendar year, and is based on responses from 408 consumers in San Francisco and Phoenix, cities in which Cruise and Waymo have deployed autonomous vehicles for testing and service. To qualify for the study, respondents were required to have either taken a ride in a self-driving robotaxi, or have seen one. Participants were broken down into two groups, including riders and non-riders, respectively.
According to J.D. Power, 27 percent of non-riders are comfortable with sharing the road with robotaxis, while 20 percent of all consumers nationally report being comfortable with AV technology being tested on roads near them.
Among riders, however, 47 percent gained trust in the technology during a ride, while 51 percent maintained high trust levels in the tech. Just 2 percent of riders reportedly lost trust in robotaxi capability after a ride.
“Automated vehicle technology is built on the promise of alleviating distracted driving, impaired driving and collisions attributed to human error,” said senior director of user experience benchmarking and technology at J.D. Power, Kathleen Rizk. “However, the benefits result from consumer acceptance, which is why it’s imperative to ensure these first deployments are flawless – not only for the riders, but also especially for those who are not early adopters, including non-riders who are experiencing AVs in their community and those learning from a distance through social media and other news outlets.”
The study also found that some riders’ critical needs were not being met, including the cost to ride, service area coverage, accessibility for disabled passengers, and customer support during the ride, all of which are considered critical areas of improvement for the long-term acceptance of AVs. Additionally, nearly 60 percent of both riders and non-riders indicated that they do not think that robotaxis drive better than a human pilot.
GM recently announced that it was preparing to launch a fleet of Cruise autonomous vehicles in Japan in a new agreement with Honda.
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Comments
Smart folks understand that it’s unsafe and a waste.
And ultimately pointless, except for Hipsters that want to stay glued to their phones while being hip…
And a taxi is a taxi whether a driver is present or not. Most all Taxis I have had the displeasure of riding in are dirty and disgusting. Is it any wonder consumers are not embracing riding in a taxis?
Did we really need a study to confirm the obvious?
And this week’s Captain Obvious award goes to…
I have had multiple positive experiences using Cruise in Austin, Texas. I really like it and can see how it will overall move people safely. I think people should try it out first and then comment.
The survey required they had at least “seen” a self-driving vehicle….which is obviously far more common than those who would have actually used it.
This poll is is a clear case of non-users who are unsure or even uncomfortable with how to respond in a positive way as todays generation of individuals….individuals who grew up in the world of online communication…troll first, and actually look into the subjects later.
It says the survey was in 2 groups, those that had rode in it and those that hadn’t
There’s no advantage to it, that’s why it’s not catching on. Like if you pull up Uber and it says human driver 3 minutes away, or an autonomous car 3 minutes away, why pick autonomous?? Is it gonna be half the price? Or get me there twice as fast? There’s nothing incentivizing people to use it
It also takes away a paying job from a fellow human being which I am dead set against and puts others in harms way if something malfunctions
A solution in search of a problem.