Lyft is looking to bring on more drivers.
The ride-hailing company said Thursday that it's acquired two new companies to focus on expansion. One company, YesGraph, works on customer referral programs. DataScore, the other company, specializes in customer acquisition and retention.
"We feel that together, we can build a growth organization to rapidly help improve transportation in cities across the US," DataScore CEO and co-founder Monica Ohara said in a statement.
Lyft is in a battle to beat out its rival Uber. While Uber is still the behemoth ride-hailing company, Lyft is catching up. Uber has reeled in scandals over the last several months and is currently without a CEO. Lyft has taken advantage of this situation, touting itself as the good guy in the ride-hailing world.
Lyft's growth has taken off this year. It's launched in 160 new cities and is now available in more than 300 across the US. The company said it's seen more rides so far in 2017 than it did in all of 2016.
Getting more drivers is key to the competition between Uber and Lyft. This is because more drivers equal more passengers. At Lyft, DataScore's team will be tasked with helping scale the company's growth by attracting and retaining drivers and passengers. And YesGraph's team will work on expanding Lyft's driver referral program, which gives existing drivers bonuses if they bring on new drivers.
"We've been obsessed with social referrals for years, and we can't wait to help the Lyft driver community," YesGraph founder and CEO Ivan Kirgin said.
Lyft has made five other known acquisitions. Earlier this year, it acquired FinitePaths, which focuses on product growth. And in years prior it bought Leo, Hitch, Rover and Cherry, which covered everything from on-demand car washing to social messaging.
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