Minneapolis council member files intent to reconsider rideshare ordinance
Six days after the Minneapolis City Council approved an ordinance setting minimum pay requirements for rideshare drivers, one member has filed a notice of intent to reconsider the ordinance.
Concerns over the possible departure of Uber and Lyft have continued to grow in the week since the council overrode Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto, prompting comments not only from Frey and community members but also state lawmakers and the governor.
Frey has urged the council to reconsider the ordinance — which requires rideshare companies to pay drivers at least $1.40 per mile and 51 cents per minute on rides to, from and through city limits — and on Wednesday, Ward 8 Council Member Andrea Jenkins officially filed a notice of itent to reconsider the measure. That notice is expected to go before the full council at Thursday’s meeting.
Jenkins was one of the nine members who initially voted to adopt the ordinance earlier this month and one of 10 who voted to override Frey’s veto. It wasn’t immediately clear if any other council members were reconsidering.
The ordinance is scheduled to take effect on May 1. If it does, Lyft has said it will end service in the city while Uber says it will stop its services in Minneapolis and surrounding metro areas, including the airport.
Much of the frustration from Frey, which Gov. Tim Walz echoed earlier this week, is that the council didn’t wait one extra day for a state report on rideshare pay. “My frustration is that the data was wholly ignored … every attempt to work together and collaborate was also ignored,” Frey said after his veto was overridden.
Republican state lawmakers introduced a bill earlier this week that would prevent localities from enacting ordinances to regulate transportation network companies, and lawmakers had already been working on statewide rideshare legislation.
“I view this as a utility that is needed,” Walz said on Monday. “To lose this, I don’t think it’s a plan to think somebody might step in. That’s not really a plan, that’s hopefulness. We have an opportunity. We’ve got to get busy on this.”
In light of the possible reconsideration by at least one council member, Frey seemed encouraged.
“Good policy is balanced policy,” the mayor said in a prepared 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. I’m grateful to Council Members Jenkins and Palmisano for their partnership and willingness to bring this back to the table. Let’s get this done.”
Frey’s office also noted that he’s convening a meeting of stakeholders to discuss the impacts of Uber and Lyft possibly leaving the city.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to Jenkins and the council’s leadership for comment on the development and will update this story if any response is received.