ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s attorney general has sued to block Lyft, the on-demand ride-sharing app, from operating in New York.
The lawsuit was filed Friday, hours before San Francisco-based Lyft planned to enter the New York City market. The suit says the company actually operates as a traditional for-hire livery service using mobile technology, not a peer-to-peer transportation platform as claimed.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says the company operates “in open defiance” of state and local licensing and insurance laws. He seeks a court order to stop its New York service until the suit is resolved, plus a civil penalty and loss of profits.
The suit says Lyft began operating in Buffalo and Rochester without authorizations in April and currently violates various laws.
A call to the company’s attorney wasn’t initially returned.