Minneapolis council proposal would require human safety monitors in driverless cars
Four Minneapolis City Council members are advancing a proposal that would require commercial autonomous vehicles to carry a paid, licensed human safety monitor, giving the city a direct role in regulating driverless operations.
The proposed Workers Drive Minneapolis ordinance is scheduled for a public hearing on September 22, 2026. It has not been adopted, and the hearing is not a final vote.
What the proposal would require
Under the proposal, an autonomous vehicle operating commercially in Minneapolis would need a human monitor in the driver’s seat. The monitor would need a driver’s license, would have to be paid at least minimum wage and would need immediate access to the vehicle’s steering, braking and acceleration controls.
The ordinance also would require autonomous-vehicle companies to obtain a Minneapolis operating license. If the City Council approves the measure and Mayor Jacob Frey signs it, the proposed licensing requirement would begin in October 2027.
The ordinance is being advanced by Council Members Robin Wonsley, Aurin Chowdhury, Jason Chavez and Jamal Osman.
Waymo is testing, but not carrying Minneapolis passengers
Waymo is testing autonomous vehicles in the Minneapolis market. The vehicles are not currently carrying passengers there, and the testing vehicles have a driver in the front seat.
Waymo has said it wants a path to eventually offer fully autonomous transportation in Minnesota. Adam Lane, the company’s state and local public policy manager, characterized the proposed Minneapolis requirement as a “de facto ban on autonomous vehicles.”
That is Waymo’s characterization, not the legal status of the ordinance. The measure remains under consideration and could be changed or rejected.
Supporters cite safety, accountability and driving jobs
The ordinance’s authors say Minneapolis should address traffic safety, public accountability and the potential effect of autonomous vehicles on Uber and Lyft drivers. They have also raised concerns about job losses affecting immigrant workers, including drivers in Minneapolis’s East African communities.
Supporters of autonomous vehicles argue that the technology could improve safety, transportation access and mobility for some riders. Critics and labor advocates have raised concerns about oversight, winter driving, traffic effects and the loss of paid driving work. Those competing claims remain part of the policy debate rather than settled findings about future Minneapolis operations.
What happens next
The September 22 public hearing is the next major public step. The City Council and mayor would both need to approve the ordinance before the proposed October 2027 effective date could take effect.
Mayor Frey has said driverless technology is coming but should be introduced responsibly. His administration has emphasized licensing and management of the city’s right of way while looking to the state for broader regulation.
Minnesota’s Governor’s Council on Connected and Automated Vehicles has been developing policy recommendations involving safety, accessibility, workforce effects and winter conditions. The state context does not determine the Minneapolis ordinance, which remains a city proposal.
For Minneapolis residents, workers and transportation companies, the immediate question is whether the city will require a person to remain behind the wheel of commercial autonomous vehicles. The answer will begin to take shape at the September 22 public hearing, but the city’s final policy remains unsettled.
Sources
- Minneapolis City Council meetings and legislative information
- MPR News: Minneapolis to consider requiring drivers in automated cars
- Minnesota Star Tribune: Minneapolis may require driverless vehicles to have someone in the driver's seat
- Axios Twin Cities: Minneapolis council members propose requiring drivers in driverless cars
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