As Waymo tests self-driving vehicles in Minneapolis, Grand Rapids embraces autonomous rides
Minnesota’s Connected and Automated Vehicle Advisory Council is meeting Thursday to talk about autonomous vehicle regulation, just as autonomous rideshare company Waymo announced it’s looking to expand service to Minneapolis. That’s prompted concerns about the vehicles navigating winter weather. But AVs aren’t totally foreign to Minnesota. A rural pilot program offering free, on-demand autonomous transit began three years ago in Grand Rapids. Mesabi resident Aaron Brown, editorial columnist with the Minnesota Star Tribune, wrote about it recently and joined Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition.