What year was Lyft founded?

Lyft was founded in 2012. The company began as a service called Zimride, a long-distance ridesharing platform created by Logan Green and John Zimmer. Lyft emerged as the short-distance, app-based side of that business and quickly became the brand most passengers recognized.

The service launched in the summer of 2012, matching riders with drivers using smartphones rather than traditional taxi dispatch systems. Its early identity included drivers’ cars displaying large pink mustaches, a playful attempt to distinguish the company from conventional taxis and more formal chauffeur services.

A common mix-up is the company’s name history. Lyft, Inc. says it changed its corporate name in 2013, after selling the assets associated with Zimride. Thus, 2013 marks an important rebranding year, but not Lyft’s founding year. Another neighboring fact is that Lyft went public in 2019, several years after its 2012 launch.