Consumers are becoming more confident about riding in a fully automated, self-driving vehicle (or robotaxi) after just one ride, according to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Robotaxi Experience Study results.
Consumer confidence is at 76% (or 56 percentage points higher) among those who have ridden in a robotaxi than the 20% confidence expressed by the general population who have not had the experience.
But do these experiences mean that consumers are more likely to choose a robotaxi over a ride hailing service (such as Uber or Lyft) with a human driver?
Yes! When given a series of scenarios assuming the cost for either service would be the same, 77% of riders say they would prefer to utilize a robotaxi vs. rideshare vehicles when they need to have a private conversation in the vehicle.
And no! Riders continue to prefer a ride-hailing service when traveling in an area they don’t know well.