This month, Lyft was given permission to operate as a new ride-sharing service in Huntsville. This marks Lyft’s first business in the state of Alabama.

The Director of Parking and Public Transport stated during the public hearing that Lyft will now be regarded very much the same way Uber is.

When comparing the two, he had this to say: “One of the things that these two companies do traditionally in other cities, they share drivers, so drivers that drive for Uber will typically get on the web app but they will be vetted by the particular company they drive for at that time.”

Like they do for Uber, people who wish to take advantage of Lyft may find a ride through a mobile app on their smartphone, which also allows them to pay the driver immediately. Given that around 50% of people use their smartphone as an essential internet source, this makes Lyft extremely convenient.

Lyft has long since been a rival to Uber in the realm of ride-sharing services. Last Wednesday, Lyft launched in 10 new cities, with much more planned for the upcoming year. This undoubtedly raises the amount of competition with Uber, which has found itself struggling recently with more than one public relations issue.

In Huntsville, Uber already had its fair share of competition as it competed with the likes of Zipcar, another ride-sharing service. Zipcar did not seem to pose that much of a threat to Uber, as their numbers were drastically smaller when compared to the famous mobile app. However, with Lyft gaining a lot of ground and Uber constantly bogged down by bad press, it seems they have their work cut out for them in Huntsville.