Lyft to kickstart international expansion with Toronto launch in Dec.

Uber's biggest rival Lyft is going to launch its services outside the US for the first time. The company announced that starting December onwards it will begin operations in Toronto.

"Toronto is actually a no-brainer for us when we decided to launch internationally," said Tim Houghton, general manager for Lyft in Toronto. The service will actually expand outside the city's boundaries, operating between Hamilton and Oshawa, Ont., and as far north as Newmarket, Ont. LyftLine, which allows passengers heading to the same destination to share a ride for a discount, will be added at a later time.

Lyft plans to launch next month in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton with five options: regular vehicles for up to four passengers; the Plus service, with vehicles that can carry up to six people; Premier, offering high-end cars; Lux, with luxury black cars “piloted by a top driver”; and an SUV version of Lux.

The company said it has not yet determined pricing but added, "we'll pretty quickly get to parity on...pricing with Uber."