Lyft lifts off with new look, light-up beacons

The light-up beacons, which Lyft calls "amps," will be on the dashboard of Lyft drivers' cars beginning Jan. 1 in New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

San Francisco-based says it won't use the beacons for ads, though the passenger-facing side might be devoted to sponsored campaigns, such as a beer company warning against drinking and driving.

In upcoming TV ads, Lyft paints itself as just that, in deep contrast to a menacing, slick ride-hailing company called "Ride Corp."