Autonomous vehicle regulations ordinance derailed

The Minneapolis City Council’s first effort to regulate fully autonomous motor vehicles failed.
Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed the council’s proposal on Oct. 2, which would have required robotaxis’ originating rides in Minneapolis to be licensed by the City and to have a human safety monitor in the driver’s seat.

Since the Council needs nine votes to override a veto, and it passed with only seven votes, it seems unlikely to become law in the near future.

Waymo Work Continues
Minneapolis City Council has directed staff to research other regulation options and to provide an overview of autonomous vehicles services, including federal, state, and local regulations.

Council has also asked for evidence of autonomous vehicles’ impacts on labor, public transit, accessibility, rideshare drivers, and how they relate to the City’s transportation, and climate equity goals. That report is expected to be completed in October 2026.

The case against Safety Monitors
Shaffer, along with Ward 11 Council Member Jamison Whiting and Ward 13’s Linea Palmisano, are the three Southwest council members who joined a total of six council members who opposed the safety monitor proposal.

Shaffer’s biggest concern was the requirement for a monitor.

“Waymo calls this a ‘de facto ban’ on autonomous vehicles in Minneapolis,” Shaffer wrote after the meeting. “I agree.”

She also objected to the timing, wanting to wait to vote after the staff report, and felt that safety data showed that they were not as dangerous as many feared.

The chapter president of The National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota spoke at a public hearing on Sept. 22 about the autonomous vehicle ordinance, where she opposed the proposal and shared that many in the disability community favor the use of autonomous vehicles as an alternative to taxi and rideshare options.

“Many of us have experienced riding in automated vehicles in other cities, and, for us, the benefits they offer are more than theoretical,” Jennifer Dunnam said. “Not only can these vehicles expand our transportation options in general, but they can help mitigate the all-too-common occurrence of human rideshare drivers refusing rides to people using guide dogs.”

Shaffer said she found the advocacy of the disability community “compelling.”

The case for safety Monitors
Supporters of the ordinance focused more on protecting jobs and less on safety concerns.
The original co-authors, Council Members Robin Wonsley, Jason Chavez, Aurin Chowdhury and Jamal Osman, called it the “Workers Drive Minneapolis” ordinance and they and several speakers shared fears that thousands of people who drive for taxi or rideshare companies could lose their incomes.

Ward 8 Council Member Soren Stevenson was one of the two Southwest council members, along with Ward 10’s Aisha Chughtai, who also supported the ordinance. Stevenson even signed on as an ordinance co-author.

“More cars will not lead to safer streets, and protecting Minneapolis workers is non-negotiable,” Stevenson wrote after the vote. “We deserve safe, accessible and reliable options to get around our city without having to depend on cars or solutions that will cost thousands of neighbors their jobs.”

Ward 1 Council Member Elliott Payne also shared his concerns about an economic strategy where larger companies operate at a loss to eliminate competition.

“We saw this pattern happen with rideshare and Uber, and we are seeing this play out in real-time with AI,” Payne wrote after the meeting. “I think it would be extremely naive to believe self-driving cars won’t go through a similar journey.”

Palmisano objected to the focus on job preservation.

“This feels more like saving a particular job rather than an autonomous vehicle regulation for our whole city,” Palmisano said. “I don’t see it as local government’s place to safeguard a job. However, I do see it as a place to talk about the regulations of how a new business type operates in our city.”

The effort to regulate this new technology is likely far from over. Neither is the pushback to minimize those regulations and allow the companies to operate as freely as possible.

Autonomous vehicle state laws
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 35 states have enacted legislation governing autonomous vehicles, but Minnesota is not one of them. Nine related bills were introduced in 2026 but none passed in the legislature.

In 21 of those 35 states full driverless operation of all vehicle classes is permitted, including class 8 commercial semi-trucks with up to 18 wheels.

Many of these state laws also preempt, or prohibit, any local laws or ordinances, but without the preemption, cities could potentially enact local ordinances, franchise fees, or independent permitting and licensing regimes.

Looking Ahead
Dunnam with The National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota called on City Council and community members to engage with the State-level discussions to develop regulations that protects rider safety while allowing autonomous transportation to become an accessible transportation option for people who are blind and others who cannot drive.

“We can address legitimate concerns about employment and safety, while also allowing innovation to move forward,” Dunnam said.

“We understand the concern about jobs, especially in light of the difficult and deeply consequential challenges that immigrants in Minneapolis have faced in recent times,” Dunnam said. “However, using a blanket prohibition to protect existing jobs is not a sustainable way to respond to technological change and does not factor in the needs of all who do not drive.”

The push will continue from companies, including Google-owned Waymo, which is already operating driverless robotaxis in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin. Amazon, General Motors, Hyundai/Aptiv and Tesla are also working on autonomous vehicles.

Waymo is expected to keep testing the vehicles in the city with people in the driver’s seat throughout the winter.

More action at the City Council could be coming this fall and at the State legislature next year.
Ward 7 Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer is hosting a community meeting at Loring Park on Oct. 22, where people can see a Waymo vehicle, similar to the ones that have been driving around Minneapolis. People can also meet with representatives from Waymo company and ask questions.