Minneapolis Council Passes Ordinance Requiring Human Monitors in Robotaxis

The City Council narrowly approved an ordinance Thursday that would require a licensed human safety monitor in the driver's seat of commercial driverless rideshares, a 7-6 vote that now goes to Mayor Jacob Frey, who has called the measure a backdoor ban.

Priya Nair, Safety · Oct. 1, 2026 · 4 min

CBS Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS - The City Council narrowly approved an ordinance Thursday that would require a licensed human safety monitor in the driver's seat of commercial driverless rideshares, a 7-6 vote that now goes to Mayor Jacob Frey, who has called the measure a backdoor ban.

The ordinance, titled Workers Drive Minneapolis, would regulate autonomous transportation network companies that provide fare-paying trips originating in the city. Under the measure, a human would have to sit in the driver's seat with immediate access to the steering, brakes and accelerator. Remote human operation would be prohibited. The monitor would need a driver's license and would have to be paid at least the minimum wage, according to CBS Minnesota, KSTP and MPR News.

If it survives a mayoral veto, the rule would take effect Oct. 1, 2027. Supporters say the delay gives the state Legislature time to consider statewide autonomous-vehicle rules and protects rideshare jobs. A majority of rideshare drivers in Minnesota are immigrants, according to state data cited by MPR News.

"Workers Drive Minneapolis is about public safety and protecting immigrant workers from losing their jobs to automation," Council Minority Leader Robin Wonsley said, according to CBS Minnesota. Council Vice President Jamal Osman called on Frey to sign the ordinance and "not veto immigrant jobs."

Waymo, Alphabet's robotaxi unit, has been testing vehicles in the Twin Cities with humans behind the wheel and has not yet taken customers. The company has called the proposal a de facto ban on autonomous vehicles and said no comparable rule exists in the other cities where it already operates, CBS Minnesota reported. Council member Jamison Whiting voted against the ordinance Thursday, saying his research convinced him autonomous vehicles are far safer than human drivers, according to MPR News.

Frey has not announced a veto. A spokesperson said before the vote that the mayor considers the ordinance "a back door ban, and a bait for the state to come in and pre-empt us," and that he prefers statewide regulation, MPR News reported. Overriding a veto would take nine votes on the 13-member council. Thursday's 7-6 tally falls short of that threshold.

The Committee of the Whole had recommended passage 7-4 on Sept. 29. Progressives on the council framed the measure as both a labor protection and a pause for study. Opponents, including council member Elizabeth Shaffer, argued the council should wait for a city staff report on the robotaxi industry due Monday to the zoning committee, MPR News reported.

Minnesota lawmakers considered statewide autonomous-vehicle legislation this spring but did not pass a bill, leaving cities to act on their own. Whether local governments have clear legal authority to impose such rules remains unsettled, MPR News noted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has reported that Waymo vehicles have a substantially lower crash-involvement rate than human drivers in matched comparisons, a finding cited in local coverage of Thursday's debate. Waymo continues supervised testing in Minneapolis while the ordinance moves to the mayor's desk.

Priya Nair, Safety. Priya Nair is a senior correspondent covering AV safety, regulators, and investigations. Previously covered transport policy for national outlets; based in Washington.