Examining the temporary use behavior of autonomous vehicles under uncertainty: A stated preference analysis

The rapid advancement of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is reshaping traditional parking, posing challenges for urban and transportation planning. This study investigates AV owners’ parking choice behavior to inform policy decisions. A stated choice experiment was designed to evaluate three parking modes including regular parking, cruising, and car-sharing, integrating dual uncertainties in parking fees and sharing revenues, an aspect largely overlooked in prior research. Unlike previous studies focusing solely on parking versus cruising decisions, we incorporate car-sharing as an additional behavioral option for AVs users upon reaching their destinations. Using a random parameter mixed logit-cumulative prospect theory model, we analyze AV owners’ risk attitudes and parking decisions under uncertainty. Results indicate different risk attitudes toward parking mode choice and varied preferences concerning the uncertain parking fee and revenue. Additionally, socio-demographic characteristics, travel purposes, waiting times, social influences, and congestion charges significantly impact parking choice behaviors. The findings provide valuable insights for urban planning, transportation policy, and car-sharing platform development.