Minneapolis city council votes to put human monitors in Waymos—but mayor will veto it

The Minneapolis City Council passed an ordinance on Thursday in a seven-to-six vote that will require human monitors to be inside robotaxis when they are driving. However, the mayor's office plans to veto the move.

The policy would require that any autonomous vehicles in the city, including Waymo, Tesla Cybercab, and others, will need to have people in the car monitoring the driving. Waymo began mapping the city in 2025, but has not started offering rides to customers.

Council member Robin Wonsley claimed that an influx of automated taxis going into the city will disrupt the pay of around 10,000 residents who drive for Uber and other ride services.

"This is just saying that this is the first iteration of making sure that we put strong labor protections as a part of a broader regulatory framework to make sure workers are not coming at the expense or their jobs and livelihoods, aren’t coming at the expense of these technological advancements that we do welcome in our city," Wonsley said.

However, spokesperson for Mayor Jacob Frey said that he would veto the motion. “Requiring a driver in a driverless car doesn’t make sense,” Mayor Jacob Frey said, per Kare 11. “Minneapolis is open for business, open to innovative technology, and open to a variety of transportation options. Thoughtful regulation for safety is necessary, but not through a backdoor ban.”

The city council would need 9 votes in order to override a veto. City council members were split on what option would be safer.

“If we as a council, as a body, again have the ability to make a decision that can reduce the cause of death in this city, I think that is an option, that is a debate that needs to be had," Council Member Jamison Whiting said. He voted against the regulation, citing that self-driving cars are safer.

Others claimed it would be more dangerous. “Having self-driving cars without regulations it’s not the right way to go," Council Member Jamal Osman said.

Council member Soren Stevenson claimed that “adding more cars and expanding car infrastructure is a recipe for death and injury."

Other council members were more concerned about immigrants and people of color, who they said would lose their jobs as Uber drivers and in other driving services.

“We’re all aware of the impact to businesses in the wake of Operation Metro Surge; moving toward reconciliation does not include carving out workers as collateral damage on the road to perceived innovation," North Minneapolis resident Ricky Haglen said in reference to the ICE surge in Minneapolis.