The Minneapolis City Council passed an ordinance Thursday afternoon that would increase the pay for rideshare drivers, despite threats from Uber and Lyft that they would stop service in the city should it pass.
The council passed the measure 7 to 5. The Minnesota Uber/Lyft Driver’s Association urged the council to move forward, saying that the conditions they worked under were not sustainable.
The vote also comes after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for more time to workshop solutions after the companies made the threat.
“We need both additional data and conversations to be had to ensure the essential safety and well-being of rideshare drivers and riders alike,” Mayor Frey wrote in a statement on Wednesday evening. He has also said he supports an increase in pay and more driver protections.
The measure is poised to give drivers $1.40 per mile and $0.51 cents per minute. It also would ensure that the rider and the driver both get receipts detailing how much the rider paid against what the driver received. Mayor Frey has until next Wednesday to veto the measure.
The state legislature passed a similar measure that would have changed regulations for rideshare companies. The measure was later stuck down by the Governor.
Councilmember Jason Chavez said that the decision to approve the measure is now in the mayor’s hands, saying ”he can support immigrant workers or stand with the Downtown Council – that is his decision, and his decision alone.”
Lyft has said it would end service on January 1 if the measure passed the City Council. Uber has not specified a date it would pull out of the city.
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