Houstonians will soon have a choice when it comes to ride-hailing services. Lyft's relaunch in the Bayou City is scheduled for two o'clock Wednesday after a nearly three-year hiatus.
The move comes after Monday's signing of a new law by Gov. Greg Abbott which loosens restrictions put in place by local municipalities.
With the relaunch, Lyft unveil new technology to help passengers better identify their driver. The company's new "Amp" emblem sits on the car's dashboard and is color-coded to the smartphone app of the passenger who ordered the ride.
“Imagine if you're on a busy corner and there's a lot of people and cars out there and you're trying to find your vehicle, what this Amp will do is allow you to identify and pair a color between you and the driver,” says Kaleb Miller, general manager of Lyft Houston.
The San Francisco-based company withdrew from Houston over new regulations approved by City Council that would require drivers to have background checks and required medical exams, and installing fire extinguishers in Lyft cars.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is still concerned about safety. He responded to the new law by saying he can no longer guarantee that drivers have "passed a background check that includes all 50 states and the FBI's national criminal database."
“We do a lot of safety checks through criminal background and DMV,” Miller insists. “We provide a lot of visibility inside the system so that people know who they're interacting with and what that looks like.”
Photo courtesy of Lyft.