Robotaxi Riders Appreciate The Experience, J.D. Power Study Finds

Riding in a robotaxi is a pleasant, positive experience for most users, converting previous skeptics into appreciators of the novel transportation mode, according to the results of the freshly released J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Robotaxi Experience Study.

Surveying users of vehicles operated by GM self-driving technology division Cruise as well as rivals such as Waymo, J.D. Power found robotaxi riders gave the experience an average 8.5 out of 10 rating. However, it does not compare this to satisfaction with human-driven taxis.

Safety, the ability to set a route at the start of the ride, and the capacity of the vehicle to navigate traffic and follow traffic regulations were the attributes most riders viewed as most important when hitching a self-driven car ride. Most riders also chose a robotaxi mostly for novelty experience purposes because of limited route coverage and current fares.

Nevertheless, robotaxis showed a robust ability to “convert” skeptics. Only 20 percent of people who haven’t ridden in one of the vehicles are confident in the concept, but confidence nearly quadruples to 76 percent once they have actually used the technology.

Branding isn’t important at this stage, with J.D. Power benchmarking director Kathleen Rizk noting “most people are not familiar with robotaxi brands and haven’t formed a clear associative imagery” and will use any brand available – Cruise, Waymo, Zoox, Motional, and so on. She also said the service providers “need to look beyond their deployment markets and find ways to educate and build trust.”

Interestingly, people looking for a ride in an unfamiliar area preferred human-driven ride-sharing offered by Uber or Lyft, apparently trusting a human driver to find their destination more effectively than an automated vehicle. However, 77 percent of those who planned a private conversation in their ride preferred a robotaxi – apparently overlooking the possibility of interior video and audio monitoring.

The study used feedback from 3,773 people with some robotaxi experience and collected all its data in August 2024. Non-riders, who all lived in cities with robotaxis available, were asked to share their impressions of the vehicles. Meanwhile, riders rated the autonomous cabs based on five criteria, including comfort, hiring the ride, actually riding, ride availability, and the technology itself.

Meanwhile, after being ordered to pay $1.5 million in last year’s high-profile pedestrian-dragging incident, Cruise is now operating in Houston and recently helped with food bank deliveries in the Texas city.