The Elderly Acceptance of Autonomous Vehicle Services in Beijing, China

Abstract

China's population has been ageing fast at an accelerated pace since the 21st century, while the mobility and convenience of travel for the elderly were weakened by the limited transportation options. Autonomous vehicles, an emerging mode of transport, provide flexibility for the elderly, provided that the rapid and widespread this new mode of transportation can be accepted by the elderly population. This paper plans to gain insights from the attitudes of the Beijing elderly using autonomous vehicles, perceiving the importance of different types of services. The stated preference survey was conducted over 376 respondents from various generations, which examined their perception of autonomous vehicles after their retirement. An ordered logistics model used in this paper shows that people who use emerging transportation modes (e.g., car-sharing and ride-hailing) are more likely to use autonomous vehicle services. Accessing shopping activities and medical care is the two crucial purposes for the elderly autonomous vehicle users. Additionally, the clustering and correlation analysis indicate that people with a higher willingness to use autonomous vehicles are the earliest target users of these services. However, living with children and running errands in short distances by bicycle and walk, the elderly in the early generation hardly adopts autonomous vehicle services after their retirement.