This study analyzed the factors influencing citizens’ intention to use the Cheonggye A01 autonomous bus in Seoul among individuals who had actual experience using the service. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study incorporated th...
This study analyzed the factors influencing citizens’ intention to use the Cheonggye A01 autonomous bus in Seoul among individuals who had actual experience using the service. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study incorporated the characteristics of autonomous transportation services by including perceived safety, technology self-efficacy, perceived traffic efficiency, and perceived trust as exogenous variables. Perceived usefulness and attitude were established as key variables, while perceived risk was employed as a moderating variable to examine the relationships among the variables. Data were collected through a survey conducted from March 1 to March 31, 2026, targeting citizens in Seoul who had experience using autonomous buses. A total of 281 valid responses were utilized for the analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied, and the PROCESS Macro was employed to verify the moderating effects. The results indicated that perceived safety, technology self-efficacy, perceived traffic efficiency, and perceived trust all had significant positive effects on perceived usefulness and attitude. In addition, perceived usefulness significantly influenced both attitude and intention to use, while attitude also had a positive effect on intention to use. Furthermore, perceived risk was found to negatively moderate the relationship between perceived usefulness and intention to use, as well as the relationship between attitude and intention to use. These findings suggest that users’ perceptions and psychological factors play a crucial role in the acceptance process of smart transportation services such as autonomous buses. Therefore, sufficient promotion and detailed explanations regarding autonomous transportation services are required to encourage a positive shift in users’ perceptions toward smart mobility services.