Uber & Lyft Will Be Shutting Down Operations in Minneapolis-St. Paul on May 1st

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - After the Minneapolis City Council voted 10-3 to override Mayor Jacob Frey's veto of a ride-hailing pay raise ordinance on Thursday, Uber says it will pull out of the entire Twin Cities metro starting May 1.

In a statement Thursday afternoon, Uber wrote: "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. 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."

Uber says starting May 1, they will be forced to stop operating in the entire Twin Cities metro. Lyft issued a similar statement with the same deadline to stop service in Minneapolis.

Perhaps I'm overreacting to the severity of this news, but I have to believe this will be quite inconvenient for the friendly people of Minnesota. Can you imagine if you woke up tomorrow morning and Uber & Lyft were no longer available? I suppose if you're in a city like New York or Chicago with a sizable network of taxi cabs and efficient public transportation, you'd be fine. But there's simply no way there are enough taxis in a city like Minneapolis to make up for the loss of both Uber & Lyft.

Now I hope this won't be the case. I'm certainly not advocating for this. But does this not mean the city will be crawling with drunk drivers this summer? By the time the ban goes into effect, the snow will be nearly melted. The sun will peak its head out from behind the clouds for the first time in 2024. The temperature will reach a springy 40+ degrees. Perfect Minnesota drinking weather. The hearty people of the Gopher State will be sprawled out across the city consuming their body weight in locally brewed IPA's. Come nightfall, with no available rideshare services to speak of, they'll be forced to dust off the ol' drunk driving gloves and attempt to swerve themselves back to the comfort of their own homes.

Unless of course there's a young entrepreneur looking to cash in on this opportunity. There's going to be a massive, gaping, Stormy Daniels sized hole in the ride service market. If I lived in Minneapolis, and I had the funds, I'm buying myself a taxi, painting it Minnesota Vikings purple, and learning Arabic so I can spend my evenings having under my breath conversations with people on the other side of the world as I haul drunk Minnesotans across the city. There's money to be made, and somebody is going to cash in.

However, I must say, this seems to me like one of those things that will go in effect, and within a week will be resolved the moment Uber & Lyft realize their lost profits and will promptly come to a deal that get my borderline slave-labor employees back on the road. Hopefully that's the case. Cities are so reliant on rideshare services this day and age, it's crazy to think about a major city not having them available.