Frey provides update on rideshare ordinance

Emily Baude KSTP

Frey provides update on rideshare ordinance

Mayor Frey said he would support a $1.17 per-mile and 34 cents per-minute pay for rideshare drivers. That would just about double the pay for drivers in the city, based on the data available to the City of Minneapolis, Frey said.

The mayor of Minneapolis held a press conference on Wednesday morning to provide an update on the city’s Transportation Network Companies (TNC) rideshare ordinance.

Mayor Jacob Frey spoke at 11 a.m. at City Hall regarding the ordinance that the Minneapolis City Council approved in August and Frey vetoed later that month. You can watch the full news conference in the video player below.

“Drivers for Uber and Lyft need to get paid more,” Frey said. “I support an ordinance, ultimately, to get them there.”

The mayor called the press conference after the rideshare ordinance item was recently removed from a Minneapolis City Council agenda for later this month, meaning it now may not go before the council until next year. Frey noted there was a sense of urgency among council members when he vetoed a measure over the summer but he believes that has now been replaced by more of a wait-and-see approach.

The TNC rideshare ordinance was passed by the council on Aug. 17, the day after Mayor Frey sent a letter to council leaders, saying more debate is needed before the city makes a decision. The mayor vetoed the approval on Aug. 22.

The council’s ordinance guaranteed rideshare drivers would’ve gotten at least $0.51 per minute and $1.40 per mile — $1.81 per mile for drivers in wheelchair-accessible vehicles — and would’ve guaranteed drivers 80% of canceled ride fees, plus more protections against deactivation.

Prior to the council passing the ordinance, Lyft sent an email to customers, saying it “will be forced to stop operating in Minneapolis” if the Minneapolis City Council approves the rideshare ordinance. Uber also told customers “we would unfortunately have no choice but to greatly reduce service, and possibly shut down operations entirely” if the ordinance passed.

Frey provides update on rideshare ordinance Wednesday morning