Which company bought Lyft's original Zimride service in July 2013?

Enterprise Holdings bought Lyft’s original Zimride service in July 2013. The sale covered the long-distance ride-matching business, while Lyft continued as the company’s newer on-demand urban service.

Logan Green and John Zimmer founded Zimride in 2007 to match drivers and passengers, especially within universities and businesses. Green had been inspired by sharing trips between the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles; Zimmer had become interested in the unused seats on commuters’ journeys.

Lyft began as a Zimride service in 2012 and quickly became the company’s main focus. The company changed its name from Zimride to Lyft in May 2013, then sold the original Zimride operation to Enterprise Holdings the following July.

This history explains a frequent misconception: Enterprise did not buy Lyft’s on-demand ride-hailing operation. It acquired the older intercity carpooling service, which continued as a matching platform for institutional networks.