This study proposes a method to evaluate the publicity of real-time, demand-responsive, autonomous public-transportation systems. By analyzing real-time data collected based on publicity evaluation indicators suggested in previous research studies, this study seeks to establish a system that objectively assesses the publicity of public transportation. Thus, the introduction of autonomous public transportation systems is expected to contribute to solving problems in underserved transportation areas and enable more sophisticated public transportation operations. We reviewed evaluation indicators proposed in previous studies. Based on this review, publicity evaluation indicators were derived and specific criteria were selected to assess systematically the publicity of autonomous public transportation. An AHP analysis was conducted to assess the relative importance of each indicator by analyzing the importance of the selected indicators. Additionally, to score the indicators, minimum and maximum target values were established, and a method for assigning scores to each indicator was examined. The most important factor in the publicity evaluation of autonomous demand-responsive transport (DRT) was the “success rate of allocation to weak public transportation service areas,” with a significance level p of 0.204. This was analyzed as a key evaluation criterion because of the importance of service provision in areas with low-public-transportation accessibility. Subsequently, “Accessing distance to a virtual station” (p = 0.145) was evaluated as an important factor representing the convenience of the service. “Waiting time after allocation” (p = 0.134) also appeared as an important evaluation factor, as reducing waiting time considerably affected service quality. Conversely, “compliance rate of velocity” yielded the lowest significance (p = 0.017), as speed compliance was typically guaranteed owing to autonomous driving technology. This study proposed a specific evaluation method based on publicity indicators to provide a strategic direction for improving services and enhancing the publicity of autonomous DRT systems. These results can serve as a foundational resource for improving transportation services in underserved areas and for enhancing the overall quality of public transportation services. However, the study’s limitation was its inability to use real-time autonomous public transportation data, relying instead on I-MoD data from Incheon. This limitation constrained the ability to establish universal benchmarks because data from various municipalities were not included. Future research should collect and analyze data from diverse regions to establish more reliable evaluation indicators.

PURPOSES : Recently, increasing number of local governments are introducing on-demand public transportation service in real time to improve the management efficiency of public transportation. In preparation for the autonomous driving era, the “autonomous public transportation mobility on-demand service in real time” is being developed in the public transportation sector to introduce on-demand public transportation. For this service to become the public transportation of the future, it must receive publicity. Therefore, in this study, indicators were selected to evaluate the publicity of the autonomous public transportation mobility on-demand service in real time, and a survey was conducted among the general public to examine the validity of the indicators. METHODS : To secure the publicity of on-demand public transportation in real time, the goal of the service was first set. Second, the keywords of the service were analyzed to define the publicity requirements of this service. Based on the analyzed keywords and definition of publicity, service indicator types were classified, and the indicators were defined by type. A user satisfaction survey was conducted on the final selected indicators to improve the degree of completion of indicator development. The user survey was conducted by presenting selected publicity indicators to respondents responding on a five-point scale to determine whether each indicator could satisfactorily evaluate publicity. RESULTS : When examining various previous research cases and the contents required for autonomous public transportation mobility on-demand service in real time, the required items of publicity indicators were found to be “safety” in terms of “autonomous driving” and “convenience” in terms of “demand response.” Publicity indicators were developed according to these three items. Thirty-one indicators were developed, and a satisfaction survey was conducted on the general public for each indicator. In the survey, most of the indicators scored 3.5 points or higher, indicating that the indicators were generally well defined. Users gave the highest score to “fairness” among the three items, and “reasonable fairness” was found to be a necessary item as a publicity indicator. CONCLUSIONS : In this study, evaluation indicators were selected to secure the publicity of autonomous public transportation mobility on-demand service in real time, and a satisfaction survey was conducted for each indicator. Most of the indicators showed a score of 3.5 or higher, indicating that they were generally well defined. However, this study has a limitation in that it surveys the general population. In future, experts should be included in the survey to increase the degree of completeness of the public indicators.

수요대응형 교통수단(Demand Responsive Transit)은 변화하는 이동수요에 대응하는 탄력적인 교통수단으로 단순히 노약자와 장애인을 위한 복지교통 서비스의 영역이 아니라, 무선통신과 위치정보서비스(Location Based Service: LBS)의 발달로 인하여 도심형 수단으로 보다 효율적인 교통수단으로 자리매김하고 있다. 그러나 문전서비스(Door-to-Door)를 제공하는 수요대응형 교통수단 시뮬레이션에 적합한 상용툴의 부재로 인하여 알고리즘이나 차량 운행 요소를 면밀하게 분석하기 힘든 어려움이 있었다. 본 연구는 수요대응형 교통수단에 연관된 다양한 차량 운영계획과 알고리즘을 구현, 평가할 수 있는 시뮬레이션 환경을 제안한다. 문전서비스(Door-to-Door) 기반의 차량 운행 모형을 적용하기 위하여 확보되어야 하는 시뮬레이션 입력 데이터를 정의하고 있으며, 수요대응형 교통수단의 대표적인 범주에 속하는 실시간 합승 택시(Shared-Taxi) 서비스를 서울시 교통망과 택시 수요를 이용하여 적용하였다. 합승 택시 운행 계획을 위하여 Nearest Vehicle Dispatch(NVD)와 Insertion Heuristic(IH), 두 종류의 알고리즘을 제안하였으며, 제안된 시뮬레이션을 통하여 성능을 비교하였다. 또한, 합승(Ride-sharing)을 허용하지 않는 일반적인 택시와의 비교를 통하여 시스템 효율 향상과 서비스 품질 변화를 분석하였다.