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Ride-sharing app Lyft expands to new markets

Lyft, the on-demand ride-sharing app best known by the fuzzy pink moustaches on its cars, is launching its service in 24 new U.S. markets.

The expansion nearly doubles the startup's U.S. markets and includes smaller cities such as Fresno, Calif.; Lincoln, Neb.; and Corpus Christi, Texas. The move comes as rival Uber is expanding internationally, with a launch in Beijing earlier this week.

San Francisco-based Lyft says it is now available in 60 U.S. cities, up from just one—San Francisco—at the beginning of 2013. Uber, meanwhile, is available in 100 cities worldwide.

Ride-sharing apps are growing in popularity as people look beyond cabs and car rentals to get around. But they're also facing regulatory scrutiny and opposition from traditional taxi services.