(The Center Square) –Uber or Lyft rides in Minnesota might get more expensive.

Gov. Tim Walz recently signed into law a bill that would require all rideshare drivers to be paid $1.28 per mile, and $0.31 per minute of travel. All drivers must be compensated at minimum $5 per trip.

While the bill is meant to better compensate drivers, a similar plan in Seattle showed troubles for some small businesses. In January, the Seattle City Council voted into effect a $0.74 per mile, $0.44 per minute wage for delivery drivers. This equated to at least $26.40 per hour, higher than the $19.97 city minimum wage. 

After just a month, local Indian takeout restaurant SpiceWaala reported a 30% decrease in sales from the same time in 2023. A $9 chicken tikka kathi roll now costs $19 on DoorDash before tip.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan expressed no concern, touting at the bill signing that it's a step toward fair wages.

“Uber and Lyft are vital services that Minnesotans across the state rely on every day,” Flanagan said. “Rideshares get people to doctor's appointments, work, and school and are a vital stopgap for those who lack other forms of transportation. Those providing these services deserve fair wages and protections.”

(The Center Square) – The NCAA agreed to end its transfer rule requiring athletes who transfer a second time to sit out a year in an deal with the 10 states and District of Columbia that sued over the rule.

The proposed lawsuit settlement must be approved by U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey.

The settlement requires the NCAA to not retaliate against schools that protested the rule or reward those that followed it, requires the NCAA to grant an added year of eligibility to any athlete who lost a year due to the rule since 2019-2020 and prevents the NCAA from taking future actions to circumvent the proposed settlement.

“We've leveled the playing field for college athletes to allow them to better control their destinies,” said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. “This long-term change is exactly what we set out to accomplish.”

The antitrust lawsuit is led by Ohio with West Virginia serving as local counsel in the case along with Tennessee, North Carolina, Illinois, Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi New York, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit alleged that the NCAA rule goes against Section 1 of the Sherman Act by artificially deterring athletes from reaching their full name, image and likeness earning potential.

The case is in West Virginia federal court with West Virginia initially joining the case after the NCAA denied RaeQuan Battle a transfer waiver so he could play basketball for West Virginia University.

“This a great victory for not only RaeQuan, but for all student-athletes burdened by the flawed NCAA transfer rule,” said West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. “The NCAA needs to enact consistent, logical and defensible rules that are fair and equitable for everyone.”

(The Center Square) – The restoration of Amtrak service to the Gulf Coast is still planned, but city of Mobile officials are balking at the three-year, $3 million subsidy required by the service.

City officials have yet to approve operating and lease agreements with the passenger rail service that would commence twice-daily service connecting Mobile with New Orleans with stops on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The Mobile City Council's Economic, Cultural & Civic Development Development Committee met on Tuesday to discuss the status of Amtrak in the Port City. The city needs a layover track for Amtrak trains and a platform for passengers.

The City Council approved $3 million in 2020, but that money would need to be reauthorized once the agreements are signed and three of the six council members who voted for the funding have been replaced. 

Amtrak Vice President Grant Lang said during the meeting that the agreements are vital to securing a $178 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program grant, with $72 million of that to be spent in Alabama. He said without the agreements, the funding will not authorized. 

Knox Ross, the Mississippi Commissioner from the Southern Rail Commission, told the committee that if the subsidies from the states and Mobile run out, the train stops. 

In the latest status repor t filed with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board on May 1, Amtrak said they believed the agreements would be executed by early June. Lang said he feels the agreements will be executed in six weeks. 

In November 2022, the parties involved in the bid to bring twice-daily service between Mobile and New Orleans reached a tentative agreement that satisfied the concerns of CSX, Norfolk Southern and the Port of Mobile. Mississippi has already committed about $15 million in state taxpayer money to the project, with Louisiana adding $10 million.

A hearing was held by the Surface Transportation Commission in February over the lack of progress, with commissioners incredulous about the numerous delays.

After the settlement was reached, the Southern Rail Commission and Amtrak applied for the $178 million CRISI grant to help improve trackage and other infrastructure needed to restore service to the coast. The two announced the award of the grant on Sept. 21.

Passenger rail service on the Gulf Coast has been a priority of the Southern Rail Commission, an Interstate Rail Compact created in 1982 by Congress and consisting of commissioners appointed by the governors of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Service ceased after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 amid declining ridership and damage to track infrastructure. 

If service commences, trains will depart Mobile at 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and return to the Port City at 11:18 a.m. and 9:14 p.m. Lang said the final ticket price would be up to the states involved and that some short-distance rail services run by Amtrak, “which aren't worried about the operating ratio” use low fares to get people off the roads. 

According to the Amtrak 2015 feasibility study for restoration of Gulf Coast rail service, total trips declined 45.2% from 148,387 in fiscal 1993 to 81,348 in 2005. The study blamed reliability issues and delays with the trains, plus the loss of taxpayer funding from the three states.