The Future of Urban Deliveries? Perceptions and Intentions About Delivery Robots and Drones in Europe
摘要
Autonomous vehicles are a possible solution to meet the increased demand for home deliveries in urban areas. However, despite the possible efficiency and environmental gains, it is still uncertain whether customers will adopt these new technologies at a scale that would make them commercially viable. The impact on demand for deliveries and for passenger trips is also unclear. This chapter addresses these questions by analysing perceptions about delivery robots and drones, intentions to make online orders delivered by these vehicles, and potential impacts on delivery and travel behaviour. We use results from an eight-country survey, a smaller survey in the United Kingdom, and a demonstration of a delivery robot in the Netherlands. We found only a modest interest in the use of these vehicles, with participants expressing concerns about possible delivery problems, such as security. However, observing a real delivery robot mitigates some of those concerns. There were also considerable differences in perceptions and intentions across countries. Age was consistently associated with more negative perceptions and intentions.