Lyft delays NYC launch after attorney general asks for restraining order

Mustached ride-sharing service Lyft, which was scheduled to launch in Brooklyn and Queens on July 11, has agreed to delay its New York debut.

This comes on the heels of a temporary restraining order request on Friday from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The judge has adjourned until next week.

“As [Lyft] has done in every other city in which it operates, the defendant has simply waltzed into New York and set up shop while defying every law passed whose very purpose is to protect the People of the State of New York,” the complaint reads.

“Despite being warned and told to cease and desist by three different regulartory and enforcement agencies, [Lyft] has thumbed its nose at the law and continued with its plan to launch…”

The AG’s office added in a tweet Friday afternoon: “We will return to court on Monday, to address issues pertaining to @lyft’s operations in #Buffalo & #Rochester, in addition to #NYC.”

Lyft says the company plans to meet with the TLC beginning Monday to work on a new version of the service that is fully-licensed and will launch immediately upon the TLC’s approval. The company will still host a launch party Friday night in Brooklyn.

In other cities, Lyft lets drivers (who pass a background check) use their own cars to pick up riders. Fares are donation-based, though Lyft does suggest a price. Both driver and rider then rate each other.

Lyft Founder and CEO Logan Green told Bloomberg TV earlier Friday that the company plans to move its identifying pink mustaches from the grill of cars to the inside of vehicles in New York, on account of our harsh weather and driver convenience.