Context-Dependent Valuation of Autonomous Shuttle Travel Time: A Stated Choice Experiment Comparing Monomodal and Intermodal Trip Contexts

Abstract

Autonomous shuttles are increasingly deployed for first-last mile connectivity, yet economic assessments assume time valuations transfer directly from isolated to integrated multimodal contexts. We challenge this using a dual-experiment stated choice design examining how trip context shapes autonomous shuttle perception: travelers may value shuttles differently when they serve as access modes versus standalone alternatives. Drawing on 600 respondents across Bayesian D-efficient designs, we test whether favorable AV time valuations documented in isolated settings persist when shuttles function as access links within multimodal networks. Our findings directly address a critical contradiction: while monomodal studies show VTTS reductions for autonomous driving, recent evidence paradoxically finds AVs as last-mile access modes valued worse than manual cars. By revealing how integration within multimodal chains fundamentally alters temporal perception, we provide essential valuation parameters for cost-benefit analyses and expose limits to transferring behavioral insights across trip configurations, critical for deploying autonomous shuttles in complex transport networks.