SHARED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE TAXI SERVICES: UNPACKING THE ROUTE TO CONSUMER ADOPTION

In this paper, we explore the potential adoption of technology-enabled shared autonomous vehicle (SAV) taxi services. Some industry experts suggest that SAV services are expected to be widely adopted over the next decade; yet consumer likelihood of acceptance is still largely unclear. Rogers ' theory of Diffusion of Innovation and Higgins' theory of Regulatory Focus are applied to develop hypotheses that are empirically tested in a survey-based, three-study approach. When controlling for several covariates, technology-friendliness is found to be a leading influencer of adoption-intention. However, this influence is completely mediated by Rogersian drivers of innovation, including relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity. Results also show a three-way interactive moderation among technology-friendliness, promotion-focus, and prevention-focus. Implications for the market acceptance of autonomous taxi services are discussed, as are the theoretical inferences from the analysis.