In-Vehicle Information Design to Enhance the Experience of Passengers in Autonomous Public Buses

The purpose of this study is to propose a concept design for an In-Vehicle Information System (IVIS) of an autonomous bus that provides an Autonomous Mobility on Demand (AMoD) service. First, we conducted a literature study to investigate what information is salient to the driving conditions of autonomous buses followed by a user diary method and in-depth interview approach to investigate what information passengers need. The key findings are as follows. First, autonomous buses operate on different operating conditions from existing city buses; thus, new information needs to be delivered to passengers accordingly. Second, the information changes in real-time as autonomous buses operate based on user demand. Third, the information must be delivered to passengers such that they reach their destination. Finally, all of the information passengers need should be communicated in in an easy-to-understand and convenient way. Based on these findings, the IVIS concept design was proposed from a user-centered design perspective. To verify user acceptance of the proposed concept design, we configured five scenarios and conducted one-on-one interviews. The proposed concept design contributes insofar as it investigated what kind of information is needed for passenger experience before the commercialization of autonomous buses. We hope that our findings will help designing of an IVIS for autonomous buses for a better bus travel experience for passengers in the future.