If and when Waymo comes to the capital city, the driverless “robotaxi” car network may find way more regulations than it counted on.
City Council President Rebecca Noecker has authored a resolution, to be considered on Wednesday’s council agenda, that calls for a wide-ranging study of “autonomous vehicle labor and community protections” in advance of any future robotaxi roll-outs in St. Paul.
The resolution states that the city “should establish these standards proactively, before autonomous vehicle companies begin commercial operations in the city, so that the city can thoughtfully determine the appropriate role of autonomous vehicles while protecting workers, residents and the public.”
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Waymo has partnered with the public transit provider Caltrain to set up dedicated parking spaces for its cars.
Commercial autonomous vehicle companies include Tesla’s Cybercab, which operates exclusively for now in Austin, Texas, and Amazon’s Zoox, which is currently active in Las Vegas and San Francisco.