Passenger experience of an autonomous urban ferry: Evidence from a public trial in Norway

Autonomous vehicles are becoming available for public use, yet empirical evidence from passengers with first-hand experience of the technology remains scarce. This study examines passenger feedback collected on an 8.6-meter-long autonomous passenger ferry tested in a public trial in Trondheim, Norway. From 146 responses gathered during the trial via a questionnaire, findings are reported across four thematic areas: (1) respondent demographics, (2) perceived passenger experience, (3) passenger intentions, beliefs, and willingness, and (4) feedback on the ferry’s design characteristics. The findings reveal predominantly positive perceptions: passengers felt safe, found the ferry easy to use, and strongly recommended that other people use it. However, a notable gap emerged between general safety perceptions and procedural knowledge—nearly one in five respondents found emergency evacuation procedures unclear. Additional analysis revealed that spatial comfort aboard the ferry was associated with passengers’ perceived safety, and that the perceived clarity of information provided before riding the ferry was linked to passengers’ willingness to use it without a safety host. These associations suggested that both the physical and informational design of autonomous transport systems are linked to user perceptions. By capturing responses from passengers with direct experience of the autonomous passenger ferry, this study complements prior work based on hypothetical or simulated scenarios and contributes empirical insights relevant to user experience (UX) design and deployment of small-scale autonomous urban waterway transport systems.