Shining the spotlight on autonomous vehicles: the driverless future

The Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies at the University of Sydney Business School is undertaking cutting-edge research on autonomous vehicle (AV) technology addressing key questions around their potential impacts on the movement of both people and goods and broader society.

Proponents of AVs paint a picture where fleets of interconnected, emissions-free driverless vehicles are summoned by an app, providing a service that safely chauffeurs workers to the office, kids to school, mobility-impaired to the grocery store, and families to the beach leaving occupants free to catch up on work, their favourite movie or sleep. Groceries and the latest "must-have" consumer products are delivered by drones, driverless trains and trucks. The road toll is negligible, in the wake of removing the 90% of accidents attributed to human error on Australian roads.

However, is this utopic vision a pipe-dream as we uncover more about the realities of this technology and how it might manifest in today’s increasingly complex world? Will the safety benefits be as dramatic as claimed? Will consumers embrace this technology and how will vehicle ownership and use change as a consequence? Will congestion be alleviated or will it worsen? How will this impact mobility and the social connectedness of groups disadvantaged by current transportation systems? Will it free up space in our cities as parking requirements change or simply shift the problem elsewhere? What are the implications for public transport, cycling and walking? What about ethical issues, job loss and other broader issues associated with the rise of the machine?

Several Institute staff are tackling these questions around AVs, including Professor Michiel Bliemer, Professor Michael Bell, Associate Professor Matthew Beck, Dr Andrew Collins, Professor Stephen Greaves, and the Institute's Director, Professor David Hensher.

This research effort involves a wide range of industry partners including Transport for NSW and academic partners at QUT, UNSW, and UWA. Researchers from the Institute are also involved in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology’s Centre for Robotics and Intelligence Systems where AVs are an important focus topic.

Recent research suggests Australian consumers are highly polarised when it comes to AVs with around one-third who are optimistic about this technology, one-quarter who are sceptical and the remainder simply unsure. In common with many other countries grappling with this technology, it seems the concerns around AVs such as potential for hacking, liability, and perhaps ironically, safety seem to weigh stronger on our minds than the potential benefits suggesting we have a long way to go to convince the Australian consumer this is the way to go.

The Institute is also investigating the benefits of driverless buses which will reduce costs and provide an important competitive edge when trying to compete with low cost driverless car-sharing futures.