St. Paul council members join Minneapolis in push for regulating driverless rideshare vehicles

The St. Paul City Council has joined Minneapolis in the push for regulating driverless rideshare vehicles, like Waymo and Tesla Robotaxi, but with a different approach.

It’s a different path than in Minneapolis, where seven out of 13 council members voted for an ordinance requiring human safety monitors in driverless rideshare vehicles.

In St. Paul, council president Rebecca Noecker, who introduced the resolution, said human safety monitors could be a potential answer but it’s too early to say.

She noted that St. Paul has more “breathing room,” rather than needing to write regulations “at the moment when a company is looking to come in.”

The resolution in St. Paul asks the planning commission to gather input from stakeholders, including disability advocates and rideshare drivers, before making recommendations.