Autonomous vehicles (AVs) hold great promise to contribute to global sustainability by expanding access to mobility. The introduction of autonomous buses and shuttles could be a turning point for public mobility in the USA, but how autonomous public transit is perceived remains largely unknown. To fill this gap, this study analyzes the willingness to use autonomous buses and shuttles based on two surveys conducted in Michigan. These surveys were a phone-based random-sampling survey of the general public and an on-board intercept survey of public transit riders. We found that autonomous buses might increase willingness to use public transit. 15% of people, who occasionally ride or do not ride public transit, embrace the idea of using autonomous bus service, while fixed-route riders were more likely to accept AVs than demand-response transit riders. However, about half of the public transit riders were hesitant about riding in autonomous buses citing concerns over safety, no human, and distrust in technology. Willingness to ride was higher among younger males than it was for females, seniors, and people with mobility disabilities. In addition, our data suggests that riders’ satisfaction with their drivers - be it skill, professionalism, or friendliness - had no impact on willingness to ride in AVs. As AVs become ready for deployment, policymakers and public transportation service providers should consider AV acceptance among vulnerable individuals to bring AV benefits to all.

无人驾驶汽车（AV）有望通过扩大出行便利性为全球可持续发展做出贡献。引入自动驾驶巴士和穿梭巴士可能会成为美国公共交通的转折点，但是人们对如何感知自动驾驶公共交通仍知之甚少。为了填补这一空白，本研究基于在密歇根州进行的两次调查，分析了使用自动公交和穿梭巴士的意愿。这些调查是对公众的基于电话的随机抽样调查，以及对公共交通乘员的车载拦截调查。我们发现，自动驾驶公交车可能会增加使用公共交通的意愿。偶尔乘坐或不乘坐公共交通工具的人中有15％接受使用自动公交服务的想法，而固定路线乘客比按需响应的乘客更容易接受自动驾驶汽车。但是，大约一半的公共交通乘客对安全性，无人值守和对技术的不信任感到不安。年轻男性的骑车意愿高于女性，老年人和行动不便人士。此外，我们的数据表明，驾驶员对驾驶员的满意程度（无论是技能，专业还是友善程度）都不会影响他们乘坐自动驾驶汽车的意愿。随着自动驾驶汽车的部署准备就绪，决策者和公共交通服务提供商应考虑在脆弱人群中接受自动驾驶汽车，以使所有人享有自动驾驶汽车的利益。年轻男性的骑车意愿高于女性，老年人和行动不便人士。此外，我们的数据表明，驾驶员对驾驶员的满意度（无论是技能，专业精神还是友善度）都不会影响他们乘坐自动驾驶汽车的意愿。随着自动驾驶汽车的部署准备就绪，决策者和公共交通服务提供商应考虑在脆弱人群中接受自动驾驶汽车，以使所有人享有自动驾驶汽车的利益。年轻男性的骑车意愿高于女性，老年人和行动不便人士。此外，我们的数据表明，驾驶员对驾驶员的满意度（无论是技能，专业精神还是友善度）都不会影响他们乘坐自动驾驶汽车的意愿。随着自动驾驶汽车的部署准备就绪，决策者和公共交通服务提供商应考虑在脆弱人群中接受自动驾驶汽车，以使所有人享有自动驾驶汽车的利益。