Lyft, the rideshare company—famous for its pink moustaches—that
just launched in D.C., may be facing steep hurdles in the District, but elsewhere regulations are changing in its favor, the company said recently.
This is partly due to the company employing similar tactics as its competitor Uber:
calling on riders and drivers to launch a vocal campaign when the company's business is imperiled. As both Uber and Lyft have highly engaged, motivated, connected riders and drivers, this can be an effective strategy.
Lyft said at TechCrunch Disrupt that "the best solution was a bright light on the market inefficiencies that decades of regulation and lobbying had created," according to TechCrunch writer Alex Wilhelm.
The company also mentioned that it tries to outdo itself when responding to regulators' concerns. For example, in California, black-cab drivers aren't required to pass a background check, but Lyft drivers are.
Lyft launched in D.C. in August and operates in 9 other cities nationwide.