Automated Vehicles: Portland's approach

Overview

The City of Portland has a long history as a transportation leader that successfully balances innovation with thoughtful policy. In 2017, Mayor Wheeler issued a directive to the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to develop regulations for testing automated vehicles (AVs). Portland City Council affirmed this with Resolution 37296, "Support Smart Autonomous Vehicle Initiative Implementation." This led to the adoption of TRN-14.34 in 2018, which created a policy framework to test AVs in Portland with a permit. That same year, the Oregon Department of Transportation created an AV Task Force that PBOT staff participated in.

Development of AVs slowed for several years after 2018 but picked back up in 2024 with early testing and deployments in cities in California, Arizona, and Texas. As of early 2026, robotaxis are operating commercially across nearly a dozen U.S. cities and are mapping and testing in many others.

While some companies expressed interest in PBOT's AV testing permit, no permits have been issued to date. For more information on TRN-14.34, the Administrative Rule that regulates AVs as well as PBOT's 2026 process to update that Administrative Rule, see the below section, "Administrative Rule Update Process." 

Phases of Automated Vehicle Operations

Companies will typically bring their AVs to a new city to map out the city streets and conduct testing prior to offering paid rides. Technology used and permit requirements vary by phase of AV operations and are described below.

Mapping

View full size image of Waymo Zeekr Ojai driving in Portland

Currently, the first stage of an AV company considering a new market is to develop up-to-date, high-definition maps that accurately reflect city streets. These maps are often developed by human drivers manually driving a company's automated vehicles, which are fully equipped with a set of sensors that can gather data and develop the map.

View full size image of GMC Yukon SUV shown parked in a sunny spot on asphalt.

Since there is a licensed human driver responsible for operating the AV and the automated driving system is not engaged during the mapping phase, the company does not need a PBOT AV testing permit for mapping.

The City is aware of two companies currently mapping on Portland streets: Waymo and General Motors (GM). 

Waymo is mapping to help familiarize the Waymo Driver with Portland's unique streets. During this phase, licensed human drivers are operating the Waymo Zeekr Ojai vehicles, as shown to the right.

General Motors is mapping to support development of GM's Super Cruise. During this phase, licensed human drivers are operating modified GMC Yukon and Cadillac vehicles, as shown to the right. 

Testing

Testing is typically conducted prior to offering paid rides in a new market. During testing, the automated driving system is responsible for operating the vehicle, not a licensed human driver. In early phases of testing there may be a human safety operator in the vehicle in case the automated driving system needs human intervention, but testing can also occur without a human safety operator in the vehicle.

Under City Code and TRN-14.34, a PBOT AV testing permit is currently required for any testing of AVs that utilizes the automated driving system on City of Portland streets, regardless of the presence of a human safety operator. While some companies expressed interest in PBOT's AV testing permit, the City of Portland has not issued any testing permits to date.

On roads not controlled by the City of Portland, PBOT's requirements do not apply. Rules set by other cities or the State of Oregon may apply, but at this time, the State does not have any regulations on the testing or commercial deployment of automated vehicles. The State of Oregon does have a voluntary notification form that companies can submit if they plan to test their automated driving system within the state. To-date, one company, Stack AV, has notified the Oregon Department of Transportation that their automated truck testing on state highways will occur in the Portland metro area. 

Commercial Operations

AV companies are commercially operating and offering paid rides to customers in nearly a dozen cities across the United States.

Under the 2018 version of TRN-14.34, for-hire AVs are not permitted to operate in Portland.

Administrative Rule Update Process

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) began updating TRN-14.34, the Administrative Rule that regulates the testing and deployment of automated vehicles (AVs) in Portland, in late 2025. 

This administrative rule was adopted by City Council in 2018 and was intended to regulate the testing of AVs and limit the commercial deployment of AVs for-hire on Portland streets. Since then, for-hire AVs have become widespread across the U.S. and are active in nearly a dozen cities. In light of these developments, PBOT is proposing updates to TRN-14.34 that are designed to create a framework that enables PBOT to properly manage the testing or commercial operation of for-hire AVs onto our streets.

PBOT spent much of fall and winter 2025 both engaging peers in other U.S. cities to learn more about the practical opportunities and challenges of AVs in urban environments and working with subject matter experts across the city to develop proposed updates to TRN-14.34.

PBOT briefed the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in February 2026 about the proposed updates to TRN-14.34 and the bureau's plan for the public comment period. Public comment on the rule was opened on February 18, 2026, for 45-days, rather than the standard 30-day public comment period. Public comment was later extended by an additional few days to close on April 10, 2026.

During the public comment period, PBOT gave presentations and heard feedback at the Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Bicycle Advisory Committee, and the Portland Freight Committee. PBOT also held a dedicated listening session with taxi and Uber/Lyft drivers and received feedback from AV companies. PBOT also held a formal public hearing as part of the Administrative Rule update process and heard from nearly 30 community members there. To learn more about rulemaking and public comment period process, please visit the Rulemaking page.

PBOT received over 220 comments during the public comment period. The summary report of public feedback received during the comment period was published in May 2026, along with the full log of all comments received. The report highlights key themes of feedback and provides a summary of comments received by category. The largest theme that emerged was around safety, with 52 percent of all comments related to safety. Of those comments related to safety, the majority (79 percent) were concerned about the possible negative impacts to safety while the remaining 21 percent were excited about the possible safety benefits that AVs could bring. Many comments, 35 percent overall, mentioned concerns around accountability and enforcement. Another broad theme was the possible impact on jobs, with 34 percent of all comments mentioning concerns around labor impacts to taxi or Uber/Lyft drivers. Many comments also highlighted concerns on how AVs could impact other transportation modes, with 18 percent of all comments noting possible transit impacts, 17 percent of all comments raising concerns around impacts to people biking or pedestrians, and 18 percent of all comments raising concerns that AVs could increase congestion. 

PBOT will continue to engage with City leadership on next steps. 

PBOT Engagement Around Automated Vehicles

Presentations and Events

• Staff presentation to Portland City Council Public Works Committee on July 28 (PowerPoint linked here)
• Conversation at the Oregon Disabilities Commission on July 9 (agenda linked here)
• Presentation to Metro TransPort Subcommitee on July 8 (PowerPoint linked here)
• Briefing at Metro TransPort Subcommittee on June 10
• Robotaxi Permitting: A Conversation with the Portland Bureau of Transportation with NACTO on April 8
• Presentation to the Portland Freight Committee on April 2
• Presentation to the Pedestrian Advisory Committee on March 17
• Public hearing as part of the Administrative Rule update process on March 11
• Presentation to the Bicycle Advisory Committee on March 10
• Listening session with Private For-Hire drivers on March 10
• Staff presentation to Portland City Council Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on February 9 (PowerPoint linked here)

Documents

Summary Report of Public Feedback on Automated Vehicles, May 2026

Public comment log of feedback received on proposed updates to TRN-14.34: Automated Vehicles, May 2026

Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) Update on Automated Vehicles, April 2026

Proposed updates to TRN-14.34: Automated Vehicles, February 2026

Testimony letter submitted for House Bill 4085 for the Oregon House Committee on Transportation hearing on February 9, 2026.

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