Minneapolis City Council fails to override mayor's veto on driverless vehicle ordinance

A vote to override Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's veto of the City Council's rideshare ordinance that would require a human monitor in driverless vehicles failed Thursday morning at City Hall on a 7-5 vote.

The City Council passed the Workers Drive Minneapolis ordinance on Oct. 1 amid the rise in Waymo driverless vehicles in the city, focusing on the potential negative impacts on rideshare drivers and safety.

The next day, Frey vetoed it, saying he "cannot support a back-door ban that belies our progressive tradition." He also highlighted the vital importance driverless vehicles could have on the livelihood of community members living with disabilities.

Waymo officials echoed Frey's concerns earlier this month, calling the ordinance "a de facto ban on autonomous vehicles," noting its unprecedented in the 15 cities where the company currently operates.

"The veto of Workers Drive Minneapolis handed a win to Google, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos," said Councilmembers Robin Wonsley, Jamal Osman, Jason Chavez and Aurin Chowdhury in a joint statement. "Meanwhile, thousands of working-class families in Minneapolis are facing difficult conversations about how they will make ends meet if a breadwinner loses their income to a driverless robotaxi."

After the vote, Wonsley, Osman, Chavez and Chowdhury said they would be restarting the legislative process to regulate driverless vehicles. 

While driverless vehicles have yet to hit St. Paul streets, its City Council proactively passed a resolution to study the potential impact on the workforce and public safety.