Requiring drivers in driverless cars is only the beginning. There are centuries of labor-saving inventions left to undo.
Author’s note: I’ve not been able to attend either of the two city council meetings where ordinary citizens, aka people with common sense, could speak to the proposal to allow driverless vehicles as long as they have a driver. Here’s the testimony I would have offered.
My milkman is going on vacation. Bummer! Now I’m going to have to go to the grocery store every day for the next two weeks to get my milk. I thought about finally buying a refrigerator, but if everybody did that, what would happen to the milkmen’s jobs?
Well, since I’ll be out anyway, my bank is just a couple of blocks away from the grocery store, so if I need some cash, the teller there always gives me just what I want, in 5s, 10s and even 20s. No fancy machine can do that, no sirree!
I’ve been retired for a while now, but I still like to go to the old office when I can and say howdy to the accountants I used to work with. They’re as diligent as they were in my day in entering all the debits and credits into the journals. Though I’m sorry to say that technology has crept in there, some of them have these calculators. I must admit they are pretty impressive, they can add, subtract, multiply and even divide. My sister, who is younger than me, still works there. She’s not an accountant, though, she types letters for the big boss. Nice work.
I had a nice chat with the elevator operator on my way up to the third floor. She told me that because of the cost of gas and groceries nowadays she’s gonna need to get a second job. She’s not worried about finding one, though; the phone company always has openings for switchboard operators so she’ll be okay.
Right after this hearing I’m gonna meet my brother-in-law for a late lunch. He’s a typesetter over at the Star Tribune (I don’t call it the Star Journal anymore; a guy’s gotta change with the times, doncha know). He gets off work pretty soon so we can get a bite to eat, we’ll have to decide between Café di Napoli and the Forum. Last time we met for lunch it was his birthday and the waitress was kind enough to take a Polaroid picture of us.
That will be enough excitement for one day, so after lunch I’ll catch a cab home. Those cab driver jobs were really threatened 17 years ago when Uber and Lyft came along, but fortunately our city council kept those danged rideshare companies out of our city. Otherwise all those taxi drivers would have lost their jobs!
I’m so proud to live in a city that has done such a great job of fending off all this new-fangled technology. Who needs it?
Today…
City Council voted 7-6 to approve adding a new chapter to the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances that regulates autonomous vehicle (AV) companies in Minneapolis. The ordinance adds definitions relating to AVs and requires companies to have a license if they originate rides in Minneapolis. It also requires paid human safety monitors to be in the driver’s seat with immediate access to the steering wheel, brake, and acceleration for all trips originating in Minneapolis. Among other criteria, monitors must be at least 18 years old and hold a valid driver’s license. Once effective, AV companies will need to conduct onboarding protocols before hiring or contracting with a person to be a safety monitor, including conducting background checks and issuing identification cards. Companies must comply with all state and local employment laws. The ordinance is effective Oct. 1, 2027. (LIMS File No. 2026-00738)
Next steps: Mayoral review.
The vote split on this one, pretty much the same as MOST significant votes go now with this new Council.
Osman, who is nearly always aligned with the Wonsley, DSA voting block, voted with them again….as expected.
And Whiting, who many were not so sure about leading up to last year’s election ( so maybe could be a swing vote) voted with the Frey Admin aligned group.
Member Name Vote Result
Elliott Payne Aye
Jamal Osman Aye
Aisha Chughtai Aye
Robin Wonsley Aye
Michael Rainville Nay
LaTrisha Vetaw Nay
Pearll Warren Nay
Elizabeth Shaffer Nay
Soren Stevenson Aye
Jason Chavez Aye
Jamison Whiting Nay
Aurin Chowdhury Aye
Linea Palmisano Nay
We’ll see what happens today at the Council mtg..
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/10/01/waymo-robotaxi-regulation-up-for-minneapolis-city-council-vote
Excerpt…
A spokesperson for Frey said he considers the ordinance “a back door ban, and a bait for the state to come in and pre-empt us.” Frey has pushed for the state to take the lead on autonomous vehicle regulation instead.
Based on Tuesday’s committee vote, ordinance advocates could be hard-pressed to muster the nine votes needed to override a mayoral veto.
While Waymo continues test-driving its fleet in the Twin Cities — with humans behind the wheel, and not yet taking customers — it’s not clear when the company might launch its rideshare service here.
A spokesperson for Waymo previously said that the proposed Minneapolis ordinance goes too far, and would limit the company’s ability to operate in the city.
V1, I can only respect your comment. Much truth in what you say about the 1990s. And very often technology has advanced faster than our public policy tools to regulate it.
Still, and apropos of my essay, I am guessing you have a refrigerator. And may use an ATM now and then. And may ride in elevators. And may use Uber or Lyft.
Not suggesting any hypocrisy on your part; we all pretty much have to adapt. But still, elected officials are supposed to lead, and allowing driverless vehicles into the city as long as they have drivers is far from leadership.
The luddites were right.
I remember, as a teenager in the early 90s, w the ‘information showe
I remember the promise of the ‘information superhighway’…look what it hath wrought…a splintered, manic dystopia tearing itself apart.
The 1990s were also the era where we were sold the bill of goods that is ‘line go up’ mentality. What it has given us is absolute catastrophe: abandoned communities, lost generations, a decimated manufacturing base, the complete takeover of agriculture by corporations, unchecked materialism, ever increasing rates of loneliness, depression and drug abuse…it is the stuff of nightmares. But at least we have our cheap Chinese goo gaws drop shipped by a Amazon reseller to fill the god shaped hole, right?
The Amish have incredible foresight and are a model community because they carefully and deliberately choose what technology to incorporate based on what is at stake.
Tech concerns do not have your best interests at heart and we should not be putting our faith in them.