Perceived risk of crime on driverless public bus and ride-pooling services in China

Driverless vehicles are expected to improve traffic safety and efficiency in the future. If the autonomous driving technologies are successfully developed, they are anticipated to be applied not only to private vehicles but also public buses, taxis (including ride-pooling services). Such driverless vehicles may cause passengers to be concerned about crimes on such driverless public transportation. Thus, this study explores users' acceptance of driverless public buses and ride-pooling services and how the individual characteristics affect their perceived risks of crime occurrence and victimization, and willingness to use these modes. To achieve this objective, 1,090 questionnaires were collected from China. The survey shows that approximately 43% of the respondents answered that the possibility of crime is high, 39% stated they do not want to use driverless public buses or ride pooling cars, and 30% think that the possibility of being a victim is high. Three random parameters ordered probit models are estimated. The results show that: (1) people believe a driverless vehicle is more dangerous than a conventional one in terms of crime; (2) females are more concerned about crime occurrence; (3) respondents are more concerned about crime occurrence at night; (4) people have significant concerns about crime occurrence on a driverless public bus than on a ride-pooling car; and (5) region, travel time, income, education level, and safety measures have significant effects on the perceived risk of crime.