Ride-sharing company Lyft has expanded its operations in the United States by more than 50% in the past eight months, taking advantage of problems at rival company Uber to capture new market share.
Now, it appears Lyft is preparing to expand into Canada, according to The Information, which based its report on three unnamed people who have been involved with or briefed about the discussions at the company.
Lyft could not be reached for comment. The article will be updated once Lyft responds.
Lyft could enter Canada—specifically considering Toronto and Vancouver in the beginning—as soon as the end of 2017. British Columbia, the province where Vancouver is located, doesn’t allow any ride-sharing services to operate there. However, several small ride-sharing shops that primarily cater to the Chinese market are quietly operating in Vancouver. And it’s possible the province will update their transportation laws since the outgoing Liberal government has pledged to legalize ride-sharing services by the end of the year.
Lyft is also reportedly looking into Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and the U.K. as possible new territories.
An international expansion would mark a shift in the Lyft’s strategy. Until now, it has always focused on the United States while Uber has expanded globally, often facing opposition from local ride-sharing services.
Lyft kicked off 2017 by rolling out its service to 40 cities in January. A month later it expanded to 54 more cities, including expansions into Iowa, Florida, Georgia, and Wisconsin.
Lyft is now available in more than 350 U.S. cities.
