Lyft returning to Missouri via Springfield

Ride-hailing service Lyft is making its way back into the Show-Me State through Springfield.

The San Francisco-based transportation network company, which ceased operations in Missouri in 2014, is scheduled to launch service in the Queen City at noon Thursday, according to a news release.

Lyft’s entrance into the market comes two months after competitor Uber Technologies Inc. started in Springfield.

Officials with Lyft cited Springfield City Council’s Nov. 14 passage of rules governing TNCs, saying the ordinance “encourages innovation and consumer choice.” The regulations approved by council require the city to issue permits to companies instead of directly to drivers, allowing businesses to perform their own due diligence. Additionally, TNCs have to cover $1 million in insurance for death, bodily injury and property damage while drivers are working, and the allowable age for drivers is 18 instead of 21.

“Lyft believes the Springfield ordinance is model legislation and a great example of a possible framework for statewide rules that would allow the company to operate in various Missouri cities,” Lyft officials said in the release.

The release pointed to Missouri Senate Bill 185 and House Bill 130, which would put in place rules similar to those in Springfield. Earlier this month, Springfield Mayor Pro Tem Ken McClure testified on behalf of HB 130.

Lyft stopped operating in Missouri after a 2014 lawsuit by the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission in St. Louis, according to KMBC.com.

Similar to Uber, Lyft operates through an app that locates riders via GPS and handles payments. Uber launched in 2009, and Lyft came on three years later. The Uber rival now operates in more than 200 cities, according to the release.  

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