Survey of Arlington's Automated Rideshare Service Showed High Satisfaction with 97 Percent of Riders Feeling Safe and 98 Percent Willing to Ride Again.
On-Demand Service with Automated Vehicles Demonstrated for One year in Downtown Arlington, Texas, Provided 28,140 Rides.
Arlington, Texas, United States
Arlington Rideshare, Automation, and Payment Integration Demonstration (RAPID) Final Report
Summary Information
In low-density settings where traditional fixed-route transit is impractical, a flexible on-demand service is considered a viable option to effectively meet the mobility needs of residents. This project presented the findings from a Rideshare, Automation, and Payment Integration Demonstration (RAPID) project which incorporated a fleet of shared, dynamically routed Automated Vehicles (AV) into an existing public rideshare system in Arlington, Texas. The RAPID project took place between March 23, 2021, and March 18, 2022, in a one square-mile area including downtown Arlington and the University of Texas at Arlington, with a fleet of five vehicles. Over the one-year RAPID demonstration period, a total of 28,140 rides were provided with no safety incidents or accidents.
METHODOLOGY
In RAPID, over 35 stops were programmed in the one square-mile service area, so no matter where a user requested a ride, there would be a stop location within a short walk. Rider experience was monitored during the RAPID demonstration using various methods, including in-app ride satisfaction rating, and responses to a short survey, sent to each rider after completing their first ride on RAPID. The survey was also promoted through the RAPID website. The survey asked questions about trip purpose, trip experience, other transportation modes used, and sociodemographic data. For the entire term of the year-long demonstration, a total of 261 complete responses were received.
FINDINGS
- Survey results showed high satisfaction with RAPID with 97 percent of riders feeling safe and 98 percent willing to ride again.
- Survey results also indicated that 80 percent of the riders found the wait time reasonable, and 83 percent found the pick-up and drop-off locations convenient.
- In terms of the willingness of customers to ride in an AV, the results from ridership metrics revealed that the RAPID service started with an average acceptance rate of approximately 75 percent, which rose by 15 percent points to over 90 percent several times during the demonstration year.
