MINNEAPOLIS — At least one Minneapolis City Councilor might reconsider the controversial vote that prompted Uber and Lyft to announce their intent to leave town.
On Wednesday morning, Council Member Andrea Jenkins announced her intent to possibly reconsider the ordinance. According to the newly published agenda, a possible vote on the status of the ordinance could occur at the council's April 11 meeting. For his part, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also released a statement Wednesday urging the council to reconsider the ordinance.
“Good policy is balanced policy,” Frey said in a written statement. “Thus far, the Council has been unwilling to engage all relevant parties in developing the ordinance they pushed through. But there has been and still is room for compromise to ensure drivers who rely on rideshare services for a paycheck get a raise and riders who rely on the service can continue getting around our city."
In his statement, Frey thanked both Jenkins and council member Linea Palmisano for being willing to bring the new rideshare ordinance "back to the table."
Earlier this month, Uber and Lyft announced that their companies would leave Minneapolis on May 1. The move came after the City Council overrode Frey's veto of the measure that sets new pay minimums for rideshare drivers in Minneapolis.
Supporters of the measure say it will close a loophole in the city's existing minimum wage policy, allowing drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft to be eligible for $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute, equivalent to the city's $15.57 minimum wage.
Mayor Frey said he would support a rate of pay increase for drivers, but one that is more in line with findings from a recently released statewide study.
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry released the report on March 8 analyzing rider pay and protections. The study suggested driver pay rates should be within 89 cents to $1.207 per mile to meet minimum wage in the Twin Cities (as compared to the new ordinance's rate of $1.40 per mile).
At the State Capitol on Monday, Governor Walz and lawmakers voiced their concerns over the rideshare companies' threats to leave Minneapolis. House Republicans introduced a bill that would block local rideshare regulations and Governor Walz made note of the potential impact on people who rely on transportation services such as the disability community.
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