Abstract: As the advancement of driverless technology, together with information and communication technology moved at a fast pace, autonomous vehicles have attracted great attention from both industries and academic sectors during the past decades. It is evident that this emerging technology has great potential to improve the pedestrian safety on roads, mitigate traffic congestion, increase fuel efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, there is limited systematic research into the applications and public perceptions of autonomous vehicles in road transportation. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to synthesise and analyse existing research on the applications, implications, and public perceptions of autonomous vehicles in road transportation system. It is found that autonomous vehicles are the future of road transportation and that the negative perception of humans is rapidly changing towards autonomous vehicles. Moreover, to fully deploy autonomous vehicles in a road transportation system, the existing road transportation infrastructure needs significant improvement. This systematic literature review contributes to the comprehensive knowledge of autonomous vehicles and will assist transportation researchers and urban planners to understand the fundamental and conceptual framework of autonomous vehicle technologies in road transportation systems.