Attitudes Towards Emerging Mobility Options and Technologies
Attitudes Towards Emerging Mobility Options and Technologies – Phase 1: Survey Design for Phoenix, AZ
Co-Principal Investigator: Ram M. Pendyala, Director, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
Project Duration: 48 months
Project Budget (Federal UTC Funds): $183,580
Project Budget (Cost-share): $92,416
Institution: Arizona State University
Abstract
Emerging transportation technologies including electric and autonomous vehicles, and emerging mobility services such as ride-hailing and vehicle sharing are bringing about transformative changes in the transportation landscape. With the emergence of new transportation technologies and services, it is critical that transportation forecasting models be enhanced to account for behavioral dynamics that will result from the increasing penetration of disruptive forces in the transportation marketplace. To enhance transportation forecasting models, people’s attitudes towards and perceptions of emerging technologies and services need to be measured and understood. Armed with such an understanding, it will be possible to specify and develop behavioral models that account for attitudes and perceptions, adoption cycles, and adaptation patterns. It is envisioned that such models will help decision-makers better plan transportation infrastructure systems and design marketing and policy strategies that maximize the benefits of these disruptive technologies. This project aims to collect survey data from a sample of 1000 residents in the Phoenix metro area to understand how the market perceives, adopts, and adapts to transformative transportation technologies. During the one-year duration of the project, the research team will review relevant behavioral studies, design the survey instrument and sampling plan, conduct a survey pre-test, perform full-fledged data collection through the administration of a comprehensive attitudinal and behavioral survey, compile and clean data, and produce reports and documentation. Thus, the focus of this phase-I effort is to collect a rich data set of users’ attributes and current mobility choices, together with attitudes, perceptions and stated preferences towards new mobility options and technologies. It is envisioned that this project will result in the development of a data collection protocol and methodology that can be widely adopted in any jurisdiction interested in replicating the study.