Wridz rolls out service in Minneapolis as Uber, Lyft threaten to leave the state
MINNEAPOLIS — There's a new option in town as Uber and Lyft stay locked in a rideshare showdown.
Both companies are threatening to leave Minnesota by July 1 — that's when higher driver pay kicks in.
On Wednesday, Wridz joined MyWheels as one of Minneapolis's first newly licensed rideshare companies, aside from Uber and Lyft.
"I love that Wridz lets us keep 100% of the money," said driver Jeffery Boever.
That's just one reason why Boever signed up to drive for Wridz.
"I'm glad to see that somebody's standing up for us because it's much needed," he said.
Wednesday was the first day of service for the app as they started onboarding drivers.
"We went live today with the first handful of drivers here and sent them out into the real world. And they're ready for trips and everything," said Wridz CEO Steve Wright.
Wright says the trick is balancing the number of riders and drivers as they roll out.
"We'll be onboarding for the next week ongoing, and we're prepared to onboard up to about 1,000 drivers over the next week. As long as we have that many that actually come through the system," Wright said.
Sergio Avedian has been following the rideshare rules across the country.
"These two companies are not going to be able to scale up to the level of Uber and Lyft, but in case they leave, at least, you know, the consumer has some choices," Avedian said.
Avedian says eyes across the country are on Minnesota's rideshare showdown.
"This is definitely ground zero because if Uber and Lyft, you know, play softball here and agree to a lot of the demands, it's going to be duplicated in major cities," Avedian said.
When it comes to predicting what will happen next, Avedian says he isn't sure.
"My crystal ball is shattered," he said. "This one...so many ways back and forth."
WCCO checked a couple of destinations and Wridz seems to be a cheaper option by a few bucks, but it may be a longer wait while it gets drivers up to speed.
Lawmakers have just days until the session ends Monday to come up with a compromise to keep Uber and Lyft from leaving the state.