Overview
- The Minneapolis City Council held a public hearing Tuesday on an ordinance that would require a paid human monitor behind the wheel of every commercial autonomous vehicle and a city operating license.
- Supporters say the rule aims to protect more than 10,000 metro rideshare drivers and keep transportation dollars in the local economy rather than flowing to out-of-state companies.
- Waymo, which is testing vehicles in Minneapolis with safety drivers aboard, argues the measure would amount to a de facto ban on driverless taxi service and would go beyond basic safety rules.
- The ordinance would take effect in October 2027 if passed, a delay designed to allow more study, staff reports, and possible changes before driverless operations could begin without a monitor.
- Minnesota currently has no binding statewide law for commercial driverless cars, a gap that prompted this city-level action after a 2019 state task force produced nonbinding recommendations and draft legislation failed to pass.