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Even though the Seattle City Council is preparing to limit how many drivers it can have on the road, Lyft is expanding its service in the region.

Beginning Friday, the transportation company announced that it will serve more of the greater Seattle region and offer its service throughout more than 1,300 square miles in the state, including the Tacoma area.

lyft-pink“Since we started in Seattle almost one year ago, our community has grown far beyond the city’s borders,” Lyft wrote in an email to customers. “Riders and drivers already travel freely from Seattle to cities around Puget Sound, and every day, we hear from more and more Lyfters and local leaders in cities and towns throughout the area asking for Lyft pickups to come to their neighborhoods.”

The timing of Lyft’s announcement is notable, since UberX appeared interested in operating in Tacoma earlier this week. It will be interesting to see how Tacoma’s city leaders decide to regulate these app-based transportation companies, especially if they place the companies n the same bucket as taxi services. Tacoma has a full list of requirements of anyone who wants to drive a taxi in its city, including proper licensing, criminal background checks and training programs.

Lyft’s expansion comes as the Seattle City Council is expected on Monday to approve regulations that limit each company to 150 cars at any given time on the road.

“We’ll keep fighting to protect your right to Lyft right here in Seattle where it all started,” Lyft’s email noted today. “Because mobility isn’t about just one city, it’s about freedom, and you deserve yours.”

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