Lyft surpasses 1 million rides, expands to Washington, D.C.

Lyft, the popular smartphone-based ride-sharing service, surpassed 1 million rides Thursday. It also announced that is now open for service in Washington, D.C.

The San Francisco-based start-up connects ride-needy users with drivers who are willing to share their cars. Riders use the Lyft smartphone app to request a ride. At the end of the trip, riders use the smartphone app to pay any amount they want, although there is a suggested fare.

Lyft is hitting the 1 million-ride mark a little more than a year after its launch. It is available in six U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and San Diego.

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“Thanks to our incredible drivers and passengers around the country, one million Lyft rides have been shared since our launch last year,” the company said in a blog post Thursday.

The company compiled several statistics to celebrate the occasion, including Lyft drivers having traveled more than 4 million miles, or the equivalent of going to the moon and back eight times.

Lyft, which is popular with people going out to bars and clubs, said it has also returned more than 1,400 cellphones to users who left them in the Lyft vehicles.

The company also said it will officially announce Friday the start of the service in Washington. Lyft already had been operating there in beta mode.

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