Stakeholder Analysis and AVENUE Strategies

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter contains the final stakeholder analysis. It showcases the key actors involved in testing and deploying automated minibuses for public transport in European cities. This assessment helps construct a strategic overview of the expectations, needs, and impacts of the stakeholders and the connections between them. This stakeholder analysis relied on qualitative methods and involved four steps. As a first step, an initial stakeholder scan was conducted. Through a literature review, including both academic and grey literature, and stakeholder mapping techniques, the main stakeholder groups were defined. The second step involved semi-structured interviews to gain a thorough understanding of the objections, perceptions, and information-seeking behaviour of these stakeholder groups. In the third step, a content analysis of the interviews was conducted, which led to the depiction of six key themes. The initial three steps are centred on conducting an analysis at the EU level. The fourth step took a project-level perspective. A literature review and expert interviews were conducted to determine the main relations and themes for the AVENUE ecosystem, based on which the AVENUE stakeholder and mobility services map was developed. The analysis delivers valuable findings: The AVENUE-centred map shows that automated minibuses are expected to be integrated into a multi- and intermodal mobility system and offered as Mobility as a Service (MaaS). There is a need for collective action to settle one legal framework and specific guidelines for automated vehicles (AV) within the EU. Finally, the integration of AV into the mobility system must be promoted in synergy with the goals of Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP). The stakeholder map at EU level demonstrates that not all actors possess equal influence on the advancement of automated minibuses in urban public transportation systems. Primary actors comprise city governments, public transport operators (PTO), manufacturers, software developers, the European Union, and citizens/end-users. The relationship between the city government and the PTO is central. The strategy presents key recommendations for stakeholders, such as: More emphasis should be given to the crucial role of the government and the legal framework in the deployment of automated minibuses. PTOs need more support from the local government, and they should reach out to other key stakeholders such as NGOs and policymakers. A MaaS platform should be operated in collaboration with private and public partners. There should be active involvement from citizens and civil society; this is done through strategic tools for citizens’ participation and inclusion in the debate about AV in general. For AVENUE and similar projects, it is important to involve stakeholders such as civil society organizations, e.g. as driver unions and environmental NGOs. Also, they need to cooperate more with city governments and focus on user-centric services and not only technological achievements.