NEW ULM– The New Ulm City Council unanimously approved an ordinance on Tuesday allowing ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft to operate within New Ulm.

Previously, only taxicab companies were allowed to operate within the New Ulm city limits. People could be driven from other places into New Ulm and vice versa with ride-shares, but inter-city travel was not allowed.

The ordinance will go into effect thirty days from Tuesday. City Manager Chris Dalton encourages those who wish to become Uber or Lyft drivers to start the process now.

“It’s between a two to four week process to go through the Uber or Lyft setup,” Dalton said. “By the time this goes into effect, they can come down and get their license.”

Taxis previously filled this need for on-call transportation, no taxicab services currently exist in New Ulm. Red’s Rides was the last cab service before they recently closed their doors. City Councilor Eric Warmka believes ride-shares could be beneficial to fill this need.

“We had a taxi service for years but due to unforeseen circumstances they shut down so we had no transportation for people who needed a ride of any sort,” he said. “This is a good way to fill that hole for right now or if ride-shares are the future this could be our way forward.”

Since Uber and Lyft rely on locals to sign up and drive for their local areas, Warmka believes this can provide a boost in jobs for the community.

“New jobs will be available for people who want to start a career with Uber or Lyft. That’s the immediate benefit. MLC students could use this when they come back to school and provide a boost to the amount of ride-share drivers.”

Chamber of Commerce President Sarah Warmka worked with City Council members while the ordinance was being prepared. She believes both locals and tourists can benefit greatly from the new inclusion.

“It will help everyone who doesn’t want to or are unable to drive get where they want to go,” she said. “From the tourists perspective, we want people to enjoy all of the town. Ubers and Lyfts will help them enjoy [everything] and not [only] what’s within walking distance. Services like this are expected from tourists so its a needed addition.”

Businesses are also highly anticipating positive changes with the addition of ride-shares. Best Western General Manager Mae Geidel has struggled with the lack of inter-city services.

“We have the conference center so we get a lot of weddings,” Geidel said. We have some cases where the reception is somewhere else and a lot of times there would not be a taxi available so they could not get back to their hotel room. People did not have that transportation when they were trying to be responsible and not drink and drive.”

The addition of ride-share services is a major plus for Geidel, who is eager to let travelers know of this option instead of having nothing to offer.

“I am really excited to offer that to guests trying to be responsible on the weekends when there is a lot of stuff going on,” Geidel said. “It is good to offer that instead of saying we don’t have anything. I am excited to offer it to guests who come from the cities and don’t even think its possible there isn’t anything [for rides] in New Ulm.”

Those looking to become Uber or Lyft drivers within New Ulm will need to pay the city $50, the same fee taxicabs have been paying to operate.