Dr Zia Wadud, associate professor at the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds, warns the benefits of autonomous vehicles could potentially even lead to a rise in car use at the expense of lower carbon public transport. “We know that if people are more comfortable in transport the more they tend to switch their mode,” he tells BusinessGreen. “The biggest advantage [public transport] has now is productivity – we can get things done in a train. But… when cars will start affording us the same opportunity, then there’s a potential that people may switch to cars from even rail. We have to be aware of that.”