ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Built Environ.
Sec. Transportation and Transit Systems
Volume 11 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbuil.2025.1613232
Young Adults' Acceptance of Shared Autonomous Vehicles in an Urban-University Setting
Provisionally accepted
Roya Etminani-Ghasrodasthi1
Ronik Patel2
Apurva Pamidimukkala2
Sharareh (Sherri) Kermanshachi3*
Jay Rosenberger2Ann Foss4- 1Transportation Insitute, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States
- 2University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Virginia, United States
- 3Penn State University, Middletown, United States
- 4City of Arlington, Arlington, United States
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This study focuses on a shared autonomous vehicle (SAV) demonstration implemented in Downtown Arlington and university campus to provide a representation of individuals' experiences with autonomous vehicles. We aim to understand how younger, better-educated individuals and students usually assumed to be early adopters of new technologies would accept SAVs. This study utilized the survey data to investigate the factors that affect the individual's inclination to use and adopt the SAVs.The study findings revealed that younger individuals and individuals with lower income are more prone to adopt SAVs. Using a structural equation model (SEM), this study tested the effects of factors shaping individuals' acceptance of SAVs, including attitudes and travel modes. The findings demonstrated that favorable perceptions regarding SAVs markedly affect individuals' willingness to utilize the service.Car users, those with more dependency on cars and fewer ridesharing experiences, are less interested in riding in SAVs, which portends that integrating SAVs and on-demand rideshare services will enhance the accessibility of individuals who already take advantage of ridesharing opportunities. These findings offer a clearer understanding of the potential market for SAV service providers and deepen knowledge about SAV adoption among young people who are more receptive to new technologies.
Keywords: Self-driving vehicles, young adults, Technology Adoption, attitudes, Structural Equation Modeling
Received: 16 Apr 2025; Accepted: 04 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Etminani-Ghasrodasthi, Patel, Pamidimukkala, Kermanshachi, Rosenberger and Foss. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sharareh (Sherri) Kermanshachi, Penn State University, Middletown, United States
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