Cities crack down on robotaxis as federal AV rules stall — SkimNews
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- Minneapolis is considering an ordinance requiring human monitors inside autonomous vehicles, which would effectively ban driverless operations in the city.
- San Diego City Council passed a resolution seeking to block Waymo from the airport and give local agencies direct control over AVs during emergencies.
- Austin firefighters have flagged concerns about the Tesla Cybercab's lack of steering wheel or pedals, arguing it could hinder first responders trying to clear stalled vehicles from roadways.
- Even tech-friendly California is mulling multiple bills to let cities cap AV fleet sizes, restrict operating hours, or impose local permit bans, plus requirements for emergency override access for first responders.
- The regulatory pushback is crossing party lines, with red states like Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Iowa now also considering tighter AV restrictions alongside blue cities like New York, Chicago, and Washington, DC that still ban driverless cars.
- Waymo is expanding to London, Tokyo, and Munich while Uber eyes Manchester, Madrid, and Dubai as a hedge against mounting US regulatory complexity.
- Waymo, Zoox, and Aurora are prioritizing states with explicit legislative preemption that prevents cities from banning the technology, while the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association pushes for federal preemption powers.
Why it matters: The source says Congress is unlikely to pass any federal bill that strips cities of their core police, zoning, or emergency response powers — meaning robotaxi operators like Waymo, Uber, Zoox, and Aurora will face a permanent and growing patchwork of local rules, pushing some of their expansion plans overseas and intensifying lobbying for state-level preemption to override city bans.
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