Minneapolis is weighing a new ordinance that would stop self-driving cars from operating on the road by themselves.
Four city councilors, nearly one-third of the body, have proposed a rule requiring licensed drivers to sit inside autonomous vehicles as 'safety monitors' with immediate access to steering, braking, and acceleration. Those drivers would have to be paid at least minimum wage. The City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Sept. 22, and if approved, the measure would take effect next October.
The proposal would put Minneapolis at the center of a national fight over autonomous vehicles. No other U.S. city has proposed or passed a similar measure, even though lawmakers in 25 states have introduced more than 65 bills to regulate self-driving technology. Mayor Jacob Frey has not endorsed the ordinance, saying he would take the lead from the state on expanding robotaxi adoption. There are currently no state laws regulating autonomous cars.
Waymo has already begun testing in the Twin Cities. Alphabet-owned Waymo started with fewer than 10 cars in November 2025, and all of them had drivers in the front seat. The company now says it has about 4,000 driverless vehicles across 15 test cities, up from 700 in early 2025.
The market has already voted on the bigger commercial picture. Goldman Sachs projected that by 2030 robotaxis would make up about 8% of the U.S. rideshare market and generate $7 billion in revenue. As of 2025, autonomous vehicles made up less than 1% of the market. But public skepticism remains high: 71% of Americans said they would be at least somewhat uncomfortable riding in a self-driving car, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in February.
Council members say unregulated automated cars could create safety concerns, disrupt traffic and public transportation, and displace thousands of gig workers. Waymo’s state and local public policy manager, Adam Lane, called the proposal a 'de facto ban on autonomous vehicles' and said the company is working with local organizations to address safety and mobility gaps. Waymo also pointed to a July study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that found its vehicles have a lower crash involvement rate than human-operated cars.
The issue reaches beyond Minneapolis. Last year, Waymo vehicles blocked San Francisco streets during a power outage when traffic lights were off, forcing the company to temporarily suspend service. Unions representing rideshare drivers say the rise of self-driving cars is already cutting trip demand and threatening livelihoods. Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, said 'these are real people earning real livings' and argued their careers are being treated as 'collateral damage' in the race toward automation.
Robotaxis are not just a technology story. They are a test of whether local government will let competition and innovation move faster than bureaucracy, or whether it will build a wall around an emerging market before consumers and workers can adapt.
Capital rewards clear rules, and the taxpayer should never be left paying for confusion in the name of progress. If autonomous vehicles are going to expand, the burden is on regulators to write rules that protect safety without turning local city halls into a veto point for free enterprise.
