Are you ready? Understanding the intention to use highly automated on-demand vehicles while considering technology readiness and environmental drive

Highly automated vehicles represent a potentially disruptive technology, with uncertainties about their successful integration into existing transport systems. This study explores psychological factors influencing the intention to use highly Automated On-Demand vehicles (AODs). We build on the Theory of Planned Behavior, enhancing the model by incorporating key technological and environmental constructs of AODs. Structural equation modeling with latent variables is used to investigate potential shifts in travel mode choice. The theoretically derived model is tested within a sample of N = 214 individuals (151 women, 61 men, 2 diverse). After excluding the variable Perceived Behavioral Control, the adjusted model demonstrates excellent model fit indices (CFI = 0.99) and accounts for 61.2 % of the variance in the Intention to Use AODs. These results suggest that the Intention to Use AODs can be explained by the Orientation towards AODs (including Technology Readiness Motivators) and the Subjective Norm (including Environmental Concern), but not by Perceived Behavioral Control. Our findings align with current literature and stress the importance of including psychological factors when investigating the possible uptake of a new transportation technology.