Urban Mobility Using Electric, Automated Minibusses (STIMULATE)

In their joint research project STIMULATE Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin public transport (BVG), and the Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection Berlin introduce four electric, automated vehicles to the Charité campuses Mitte and Virchow-Klinikum. The Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science is responsible for evaluating the project. 1. Guided focus groups with Charité and CFM employees provide insights into on-campus mobility needs and possible applications for the automated vehicles. 2. A quantitative online questionnaire for users of the automated vehicles discovers frequent mobility patterns and investigates acceptance of this emerging technology. 3. Accompanying the quantitative phase, we apply participatory observation to uncover specific elements of human-machine interaction. The result of this mixed-methods approach is reliable data conducted in a realistic setting suited to provide practical recommendations for decision makers of communal traffic management. Next to topics like inclusion or traffic safety, this includes critical deliberations about the potential job loss of professional drivers. These subjects unify in their demand for political action and informed public debate.