Ride-hailing platform Lyft says it will open a new tech hub in downtown Toronto next year as it aims to add hundreds more staff in the city.
“Our expansion in the GTA will enable us to tap into exceptional talent.”
A Lyft spokesperson told BetaKit the company has “a few hundred” employees in Toronto and is looking to scale that to “several hundred” with the new hub. Toronto will become Lyft’s second-largest North American tech hub after its San Francisco headquarters, the spokesperson added.
“Our expansion in the GTA will enable us to tap into exceptional talent across engineering, product, operations, and beyond – allowing us to build world-class teams that will drive innovation across every part of our business,” Jason Vogrinec, Lyft executive vice president of core systems and platforms, said in a statement.
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The new office is part of Lyft’s global growth strategy. The company operates rideshare and taxi mobility services in nearly 1,000 cities across 11 countries. It also provides bikeshare programs in 86 cities across 16 countries.
Lyft’s Toronto office will come as Lyft sees an increase in its Canadian business, with rides in the country growing by more than 20 percent year-over-year in the first half of 2025. Cass Zawadowski, Lyft’s Toronto-based executive creative director, said in a statement that the new office will be “a hub for innovation that our team is genuinely excited about.”
Lyft entered the Canadian market in Toronto and Ottawa in December 2017 and has had dedicated teams in the Québec cities of Longueuil and Montréal for several years, the company said. The ride-hailing company received permission to operate its app in Montréal and Québec earlier this year. Lyft also powered the tech behind Bikeshare Toronto and other bikeshare systems across Québec.
Close to 500,000 Canadians provided services through gig work platforms like Lyft in 2024, according to StatCan. The prevalence of gig work has garnered scrutiny from labour critics and governments. Ontario followed British Columbia’s lead in July with the Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, which established minimum wage standards for the time drivers spend completing trips.
Feature image courtesy Lyft.