'Wridz' rideshare app hits the streets of Minneapolis

'Wridz' rideshare app hits streets of Minneapolis

A new subscription-based rideshare app hopes to replace Uber and Lyft in Minneapolis if the companies follow through on their ultimatum to leave if the Minneapolis City Council passes its minimum wage ordinance.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A new app is giving Minneapolis another option to hail rides in the city after the council passed an ordinance to raise the minimum rate for rideshare drivers.

At the same time, state lawmakers are debating a separate bill in an effort to stop Uber and Lyft from pulling their service.

A new rideshare app called Wridz (pronounced rides) is giving passengers another option after it went live Wednesday.

The Texas-based company was created after Uber and Lyft pulled out of Austin in 2016, only for them to return a year later.

Wridz is currently operating in nine states and says it's ready to comply with the city's new rideshare rates, which continue to be a moving target.

After passing an increased minimum rate, the Minneapolis City Council has already moved the start date from May 1 to July 1.

City leaders are now considering shrinking the rate increase before it even goes into effect.

Next week, the full city council is expected to review an amended ordinance lowering the required minimum rate from $1.40 per mile to $1.27 per mile.

But Uber and Lyft have said that's still too high.

Steve Wright, Wridz founder & CEO says, "We're not we're not afraid of the minimum wage that's being mandated here. In fact, we embrace it. I think it's a good thing for drivers to get a fair pay. And we're 100% behind that."

Robin Wonsley, who represents Ward 2 on the Minneapolis City Council, says, "If companies like Wridz can do it, we know companies like Uber and Lyft can. "It's a choice that they don't want to do that. And if they don't, I'm glad that we have companies that are willing to step up."

A quick comparison shows the Wridz app was the noticeably cheaper option on Thursday morning.

Wridz showed that a ride from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Target Center in downtown Minneapolis would cost about $20.

That's more than five dollars less than Uber and nearly $10 bucks cheaper than Lyft.

Meanwhile, there is a statewide rideshare wage bill that is still making its way through the Minnesota House and Senate. But lawmakers are running out of time.

Uber and Lyft have said they'd leave the entire state if those wages become law.

But clearly, those threats have already been successful at tamping down efforts to increase pay for rideshare drivers.