Assessing the Acceptance of Implementing Autonomous Vehicles in Last-Mile Delivery from the Perspective of Logistics Employees

• Published in: Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies Vol. 15; pp. 1298 - 1312
• Main Authors: HSIEH, Cheng-Hsien, LIAU, Nicole Xue Ting, LOH, Hui Shan, HUANG, Yu-Kai, LEE, Edwin Han Tiong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies 2024
• Subjects: Autonomous Vehicle; Behavioural Intention; Last-Mile Delivery; Structural Equation Modelling (SEM); Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)
• ISSN: 1881-1124
• DOI: 10.11175/easts.15.1298

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated contactless ordering, payment, and delivery for both businesses and consumers. In a technology-savvy era, introducing autonomous vehicles in last-mile delivery has emerged as an alternative and complementary to conventional options. However, there are gaps between academic research and the practical implementation of last-mile autonomous deliveries. This study uses the technology acceptance model (TAM) and structural equation modelling (SEM) to preliminarily explore the behavioural intention of logistics service employees in Singapore for implementing autonomous vehicles in last-mile delivery. Analytical results reveal that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use positively affect behavioural intention through intermediate constructs namely perceived value and perceived risk. Perceived usefulness acts as the strongest predictor of behavioural intention. Perceived ease of use is essential when it is the necessary condition influencing acceptance of autonomous vehicles in last-mile delivery.