St. Paul approves study of robotaxi rules before commercial service begins

St. Paul’s City Council has unanimously approved a resolution ordering a study of autonomous rideshare vehicles and a set of recommendations for a local regulatory framework before commercial operators establish service in the city.

The measure, RES 26-1733, directs the Planning Commission’s Transportation Committee to examine potential rules on safety, data-sharing and worker protections. It is intended to establish policy proactively, before autonomous-vehicle companies begin commercial operations in St. Paul.

The resolution sets broad principles for protecting workers, public safety, accountability, data and the public transportation system. It says any future operations should address labor standards, job displacement and workforce-transition strategies, while supporting rather than undermining transit, walking, bicycling and responsible use of public infrastructure.

The study must consider emergency response, winter-weather performance, accessibility, traffic and parking laws, effects on pedestrians and cyclists, infrastructure and the city’s licensing and enforcement authority. It will also examine rules for collecting, storing, retaining, using and disclosing vehicle data.

Potential transparency requirements could include operator reports on rides, vehicle mileage, empty trips, safety incidents and other operating data. The council’s resolution says St. Paul currently has no comprehensive framework for commercial autonomous-vehicle operations.

The commission is to seek input from rideshare drivers, transit workers, labor organizations, disability advocates, public-safety representatives, transportation experts and urban planners. Council President Rebecca Noecker, who authored the measure, said the city should conduct its own analysis rather than depend only on autonomous-vehicle companies’ claims.

The approach contrasts with Minneapolis’s safety-monitor ordinance, which Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed, as we reported Oct. 1. St. Paul has opted first to study possible guardrails; Noecker said a requirement for human safety monitors remained a possible response but that it was too early to make that decision.

The resolution comes while Minnesota lacks autonomous-vehicle-specific laws, though existing statutes apply to vehicles operating on public roads. A proposed state bill, SF 4618, would require Department of Public Safety authorization and annual permits for automated vehicles, along with first-responder plans and at least $10 million in liability coverage for driverless operations. If enacted as drafted, authorizations would not take effect until July 1, 2027.

The bill would also require independent verification that a driverless system can handle Minnesota-like urban and nonurban conditions, including snowpack, ice, low visibility, black ice and road salt. The public-safety commissioner would have to issue guidance for first-responder interaction plans by Dec. 31.