The Drivers Cooperative may be the solution if Lyft, Uber leave Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota's powerful drivers' union says they've found a solution to the rideshare showdown.
"Basically, if Uber and Lyft want to leave, they're OK to leave because we have choices now," said Marianna Brown, Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association Vice-President. "We're not going to be intimidated, we're not going to be threatened by them."
One of those alternatives was announced at a press conference Friday by the driver's association, MULDA
It's called The Drivers Cooperative, a collectively-owned rideshare company. The co-op was founded in 2021, operates in New York City and is more than 12,000 drivers strong.
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Erik Forman is the co-founder and said the co-op takes 15% of commissions to fund operations and profits go back to drivers.
"We are here to put another tool in the toolbox," Forman said.
In the hours after it was announced in the Twin Cities, more than 250 drivers signed up along with nearly 200 riders.
The service still needs to obtain a license from the City of Minneapolis. Under the City Council's new ordinance, drivers need to make minimum wage.
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But the final cost for you to get a ride in the app would be up to drivers.
"All these decisions about what drivers are paid, what riders are charged, those aren't going to be made in a corporate office in New York or Silicon Valley, it's going to be made by people right here," Forman said.