Local Regulation of Automated Vehicles
At a glance
Based on uploaded (human-made) captions.
- What: document 2026-357, policy concepts from the Portland Bureau of Transportation to regulate commercial for-hire automated vehicles (robotaxis), including code changes and administrative rules.
- Where it stands: discussion only, no vote. The chair plans to bring an ordinance and resolution for a hearing at the October 27 meeting.
- Why now: staff and the chair fear the 2027 Oregon legislative session will preempt local rules, as has happened in other states; Waymo has been mapping in Portland with a human driver since April.
- Contested: Councilor Kanal wants an outright ban and said he has floated an amendment requiring a human driver in all vehicles (with repeal of the 2017 resolution that directed this work); Koyama Lane leaned toward starting with "no"; Green preferred a ban, or failing that a human safety operator; Smith stressed job loss and safety. Chair Clark said she does not support Waymo either but expects state preemption and wants the best possible local package.
- Next: committee hearing on October 27; any rules would take effect no earlier than July 1, 2027.
The proposed package
- Operating approval: companies submit an operational design domain (area, hours, roads, speeds, weather) for approval; vehicles must be fully battery electric and registered in Oregon (enrolled in the state road usage charge program).
- Testing first: every company starts with a testing permit and must log 50,000 miles (the first 25,000 with a licensed human driver) before applying for a for-hire permit.
- Fleet caps: authority set in code, numbers in administrative rule, reviewed annually; first-year caps discussed at roughly 1.5 percent of the private for-hire fleet (about 100 vehicles per company and 250 citywide, per Kanal's reading). Kanal called this too lax.
- Suspension: the whole fleet counts as one driver; two violations in a year or three in five years can suspend a company's permit until it certifies a fix, with fines or revocation for repeats.
- Safety and curb: reaffirm the 30-second limit for stopping in bike and transit lanes (a full ban is an alternative); geofences around events; first responder training; crash and incident reporting; insurance levels being set with the City Attorney.
- Data: no sale of data collected on city streets; city administrator approval to share; a judge-signed warrant before sharing with another government body. Kanal called this unenforceable and noted it sits in administrative rules.
- Remote operators: must be based in the United States and hold a US driver's license.
- Fees: same permit and per-trip fees as ride-hailing companies plus a per-trip driver support fee, possibly linked to the new Drivers' Resource Center; other impact fees later for the whole for-hire industry.
Main concerns
- Displacement of professional drivers; staff agreed there would be significant economic impact, with the driver support fee as the main mitigation. Kanal and Smith said the plan does little to protect workers.
- Safety versus system effects: staff cited an insurance-industry study showing 68 percent fewer crashes per mile for Waymo; Kanal asked for non-industry research and Green said added vehicle miles (empty circling) could offset the per-trip gains.
- Surveillance and privacy; emergency vehicle access; accessibility for older riders and people with disabilities.
Engagement
- Staff described a public comment period on draft rules (over 200 comments), ongoing stakeholder meetings, and a standing monthly meeting with the Oregon Drivers Union and its representatives; disability rights groups and transportation advocates were also consulted.
People
- Presented by Shoshana Cohen, Jacob Sherman and Hannah Morrison of the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
Sources
- https://www.portland.gov/council/agenda/public-works-committee/2026/10/13
- Video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=bYbmLvLvD3M (uploaded human captions)
Discussion time
About 58 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 - Public Works Committee | 58 |
Log
- 2026-10-13 - Public Works Committee - Policy package presented by PBOT; Kanal, Koyama Lane and Green leaned toward a ban or a human safety operator; Smith pressed on worker displacement; Chair Clark planned to return October 27 with an ordinance and resolution. No vote.