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Rideshare Co-Op coming to Minneapolis
As the Uber/Lyft exit looms, the Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association is preparing a service to replace them.
BLOOMINGTON, Minnesota — Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association (MULDA) is launching a rideshare co-operative to replace the tech giants threatening to leave the state. Uber and Lyft vowed to exit Minnesota following the Minneapolis City Council passing a ordinance that would require a pay increase for drivers.
The Transportation Driver Worker Protections Ordinance was passed following the Minneapolis City Council overriding Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto. It calls for rideshare companies to pay drivers $1.40 per mile and 51 cents per minute for all portions of a ride taking place in Minneapolis.
Eid Ali, president of the Minnesota Uber Lyft Driver’s Association, says its welcoming all sorts of rideshare services to the state and hoping drivers join their rideshare co-op.
“Drivers could work for themselves because they are part owner of this company,” Ali said.
Eric Forman helped launch The Drivers Cooperative in New York City. He’s helping MULDA get ready for their launch. In New York, the Co-Op currently has 12,000 drivers that have provided more than 300,000 trips since launching in 2021. Forman claims the drivers make 8-10% more than they through Uber/Lyft. The Co-Op primarily focuses on paratransit in the Big Apple but would shift that focus to rideshare in Minnesota as 15% of the ride profits would go back into the Co-Op.
Forman says he helped sign up 200 drivers by Friday including Marianna Brown.
“Uber and Lyft drivers are being exploited and we are not treated fairly,” Marianna Brown, MULDA vice president said.
Uber says it would stop operating across the entire metro area – including service to the airport – when the ordinance takes effect May 1.
“We are disappointed the Council chose to ignore the data and kick Uber out of the Twin Cities, putting 10,000 people out of work and leaving many stranded,” the Uber statement read. “But we know that by working together with all stakeholders – drivers, riders and state leaders – we can achieve comprehensive statewide legislation that guarantees drivers a fair minimum wage, protects their independence and keeps rideshare affordable.”
Lyft also vowed to leave the city at the start of May:
“This ordinance is deeply flawed, and the rates it sets are far higher than what the state’s study suggested. We support a minimum earning standard for drivers, but it should be done in an honest way that keeps the service affordable for riders. This ordinance makes our operations unsustainable, and as a result, we are shutting down operations in Minneapolis when the law takes effect on May 1. We will continue to advocate for a statewide solution in Minnesota that balances the needs of riders and drivers and hope to return to Minneapolis as soon as possible.”
Councilperson Emily Koski noted in a media release that the Minnesota Legislature is currently working on a bill that would set a minimum wage for TNC drivers statewide, saying the version that recently passed committees in both the House and Senate calls for wages “within pennies” of the ordinance passed in Minneapolis.
“The city has a minimum wage and labor standards – and we shouldn’t make exceptions to those basic worker rights and protections, Koski wrote.
Koski said if the bill does pass and becomes law, the city can amend its ordinance to match state rates.
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Hunter Buckentine was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation.
CLEAR LAKE, Minn. — An Avon man will serve a prison sentence of nearly 10 years after pleading guilty in a 2023 crash that left one person dead and another badly injured.
The Sherburne County Attorney’s Office shared Thursday that 24-year-old Hunter Buckentine was sentenced to nine years and eight months in the fatal crash, which took place around 1 a.m. on Aug. 19. The Minnesota State Patrol said a vehicle driven by Buckentine was clocked at 132 mph on Highway 10 in Becker before it slammed into a second vehicle, killing 34-year-old Jordan Kramer of Clarissa. Another person in the car, 38-year-old Candice Pooler of Clarissa, was taken to a nearby hospital by air ambulance with life-threatening injuries while another woman was found in the ditch with minor injuries.
Buckentine would be charged with third-degree murder but eventually pleaded guilty to one count of criminal vehicular homicide and another of criminal vehicular operation.
“This level of recklessness on our roads led to senseless injuries and loss of life,” said County Attorney Kathleen Heaney. “The only measure of justice that the system can give to the families and friends impacted is that of holding the defendant accountable for his deeds. With this accountability, it is our hope that the families and friends may begin their journey of healing
A witness told investigators he had been drinking with Buckentine in a Becker bar before the crash. Prosecutors say shortly before hitting the other vehicle Buckentine took a Snapchat of his speedometer reading 150 mph and posted it with a caption that read “a new record.”
Crash reconstruction by the Minnesota State Patrol said Buckentine’s Infiniti was moving at 133 mph when it rear-ended the victim’s vehicle.
This free event will take place Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor’s Note: This photo is from the 2018 Artability event.
As the holidays approach, it is a great time to shop around for unique and artistic gifts for loved ones.
The Artability Art Show and Sale is a great opportunity to purchase local art and support a great cause. The event will platform artists who have mental health diagnoses.
This year’s theme is play and stations will be set up throughout the event so that visitors can craft their own artwork to bring home. This free event will take place at St. Paul’s Union Depot on Friday from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Artability is the greatest equalizer for individuals living with mental health vulnerabilities.” CEO of People Incorporated Mental Health Services Jill Wiedemann-West said in a release. “When they create art, they are simply artists.”
To learn more or get a glimpse of the work that will be on display, click here.
The long-running relationship was severed in 2017 after St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez fatally shot Castile in Falcon Heights during a traffic stop.
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Two east metro communities have renewed a police partnership severed in 2017 ago following the fatal officer-involved shooting of motorist Philando Castile.
Both the city councils of Falcon Heights and St. Anthony voted to approve a commitment that will have St. Anthony police officers serving and protecting their neighboring community starting on March 1, 2025. To support the renewed partnership St. Anthony PD will hire nine new employees – four patrol officers, two swing shift officers, an investigator, a community engagement officer and an administrative support person.
“The St. Anthony Police Department has provided community-oriented policing services to the residents of Lauderdale for 30 years and, for 24 of those years, to the residents of Falcon Heights,” said St. Anthony Village Mayor Wendy Webster. “This renewed policing partnership with Falcon Heights will enhance the resiliency of the St. Anthony Police Department by increasing the staff dedicated to serving all three communities while sharing the costs of high-quality community-oriented policing services.”
St. Anthony Village City Council members voted to terminate the contract following the July 2016 fatal shooting of Castile by then-St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who was subsequently acquitted of all charges in the incident. The Falcon Heights City Council agreed to the termination and has contracted with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office for police services since Jan. 2018.
In 2023, Falcon Heights decided the partnership with the county was not working and cited significant improvements in the way St. Anthony PD does business.
“They have really adopted a lot of new policies, new procedures since our contract had ended,” said Falcon Heights city administrator Jack Linehan at the time talks began. “In 2019, they re-did their entire operations manual for all officers. They have undergone significant training and some of the direction of the department really excites us.”
Falcon Heights is currently working with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office to develop a service extension through Feb. 28, 2025.
