SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. leading ride-hail firm Lyft announced Thursday the official launch of its share-scooter service in Denver, capital of Colorado state, which it has chosen as its first market for dockless e-scooters in the United States.
The San Francisco-based company said the scooters were available on Thursday morning in the city after customers paid one U.S. dollar to start and 15 cents for each minute.
Lyft's new business came nearly one week after it failed to be granted a permit to operate e-scooters in its home city of San Francisco.
Lyft, along with other major ride-share companies such as Uber and Bird, lost the battle for permits for the shared-service of e-scooters from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency in the potentially lucrative market of the city that is grappling desperately with traffic congestion and pollution.
To ramp up its business in Denver, Lyft created a Lyft Community Pass for Denver residents older than 18, with each pass costing five dollars annually for unlimited 30-minute rides for free within the service area.
Lyft plans to roll out 350 scooters on Denver streets at the initial stage for daytime services as a means of transportation for the undeserved public.
