Lyft was originally called Zimride.
Logan Green and John Zimmer founded Zimride in 2007 as a long-distance carpooling service. Green had been interested in organized ride sharing after traveling between the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles, while Zimmer had developed related carpooling ideas. The service initially focused on universities and businesses rather than immediate, city-wide rides.
The founders introduced Lyft as a separate, on-demand urban ride service in 2012. Lyft grew quickly, and in May 2013 the company changed its name from Zimride to Lyft. The original long-distance Zimride service was then sold to Enterprise Holdings in July 2013, leaving Lyft as the company’s main consumer brand.
The name change explains why older accounts of the company may call it Zimride. Another common mix-up is assuming Zimride was simply an early name for the exact same product: it was the parent company’s earlier carpooling business, while Lyft began as its urban, app-based successor.