How autonomous vehicles can be integrated with public transport systems for urban mobility

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are at a critical juncture in their development.

They could bring immense benefits, including reducing the cost of operation, improving traffic safety and traffic management, and providing mobility and independence to people who are unable to drive or use public transport due to age, disability or other factors.

Yet there is considerable uncertainty about their impact. For example, the simplest path forward – replacing privately owned human-driven vehicles with privately owned AVs – will exacerbate existing transportation problems, such as increased traffic congestion, reduced urban livability and heightened mobility inequity.

How AVs will enhance or undermine urban mobility depends on four factors:

We advocate for integrating AVs with public transport to create a synergistic AV-PT deployment model.

Public transport should remain the backbone of urban mobility systems as AVs and PT can play complementary roles: AVs offer direct, flexible and responsive service and PT provides high-capacity, space-efficient and scalable solutions.

Integrating AV and PT leverages the strengths of both systems to address diverse urban mobility needs. But we cannot take this complementary scenario for granted – AV and PT may very well turn out to be competitive, hurting both as a result.

There are opportunities in both regular services and special occasions. Regarding regular services, AVs can extend the reach of public transport by providing efficient first/last-mile solutions. Second, AVs can replace underperforming, low-productivity bus routes by offering on-demand, micro-transport options in low-density or rural areas. Third, integrated AV-PT systems allow for reconfiguring public transport network designs and service planning for greater efficiency. Increasing vehicle occupancy through AV-PT integration is the key.

Under special occasions, AVs can be swiftly mobilized to provide emergency transport services during major PT disruptions, and AVs can be allowed to use the bus priority lanes under specific conditions – for example, dynamic bus lanes usage without interfering with bus operation and only with high occupancy in the AVs.

AV and PT integration requires five dimensions of joint design and implementation:

There is a plethora of externalities that large-scale AV deployment without careful design may impose.

Without proper regulation, AVs could increase vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) and exacerbate congestion. AV deployment could discourage walking and cycling, leading to a less active and healthy population. An unregulated AV market might weaken political and financial support for public transport. Plus, AVs could induce urban sprawl, further segregating urban populations and deepening mobility inequities.

Local governments possess regulatory tools to guide AV deployment and address these externalities. Example regulatory mechanisms include land use laws to ensure AV deployment aligns with sustainable land use practices, policing power to regulate AV operations to ensure safety and compliance, control over local streets to manage AV traffic to prevent congestion and maintain livability, data management power to govern the collection and use of data to protect privacy and optimize mobility services, and authority over public transport to effectively integrate AVs and PT.

Despite significant investment, the AV industry has yet to demonstrate clear social benefits – and integrated AV-PT deployment presents an opportunity to fulfill these goals.

By embedding AVs within a transport-centred urban mobility framework, the AV industry can unlock financial rewards while contributing to the urban mobility system.

Urban mobility stakeholders—including policy makers, public transport authorities, and the AV industry—must collaborate to design and implement an integrated AV-PT system to ensure that AV deployment enhances rather than detracts from the overall urban mobility objectives.

The public authority can tender mobility services to private AV operators through open competition, imposing efficiency, equity and sustainability criteria while providing regulatory and financial support to the mobility service industry.

By doing the above, we can help create improved urban mobility systems for cities that are more inclusive, environmentally friendly, and beneficial for residents.