Brooklyn Park Woman Looks to Fill Rideshare Gap
If you want a quick escape from Minnesota to an exotic destination, you need to start with a trip to the airport.
For years, Uber and Lyft have helped travelers skip town by providing transit to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) in Bloomington.
However, with those ride share services threatening to leave the Twin Cities over a decision by the Minneapolis City Council to raise driver salaries, Kate Walton of Brooklyn Park has offered to step up.
She’s the owner and sole driver of Convenience Express, a rideshare service she operates out of her Honda Odyssey.
“I’d say Brooklyn Park and Champlin are my main zones,” Walton said. “I do all of the surrounding suburbs as well, but Brooklyn Park and Champlin, that’s my home base.”
Kate Watson transports people in her Honda Odyssey.
This idea to start a transportation service came from Walton wanting a flexible schedule, and seeing how unreliable the other services could be when her husband needed to get to the airport.
“And this happened multiple times where he would be waiting for his ride, 4:00, 4:30 in the morning, for his Uber or Lyft, and they canceled,” she said.
Now, Walton has been on a mission to advertise Convenience Express on social media.
Different than Uber and Lyft
But make no mistake, her business isn’t a copycat of Uber and Lyft. There’s a reason why “convenience” is part of the company name.
“I consider myself more of a concierge or like, one-stop shopping,” Walton said. “So you’re worried that you’re gonna miss your flight because you’re not used to having to get up at 3 a.m. I will call and wake you up. I will check your mail. I will drive by your house to look for packages. I will bring your trash cans to and from the curb.”
It remains to be seen what, if any, impact the potential departure of Uber and Lyft will mean for her business.
“I’m not too worried that it’s going to blow up and get out of control or anything like that,” she said.
While that rideshare saga plays out, She’ll continue helping people get to MSP, en route to their final destination.
“So my motto is, “enter a stranger, leave a friend,” and that rings true almost every single time,” Walton said.
While the airport is the most popular destination for Convenience Express, Walton offers rides to a customer’s location of choice. Prices are determined by location and distance.
Meanwhile, Walton says Convenience Express will be doing a food drive for CEAP during the month of June.
Kate Walton shows off the room in her Honda Odyssey. To book a ride on Convenience Express, call or text 763.620.1019.
