TORONTO — Ride-hailing service Lyft will be available in Toronto starting today.

Torontonians can download the Lyft app to being ordering rides in the city.

The company’s arrival in Toronto marks the first time it has expanded outside the US.

Lyft said in a November blog post that it had been looking at growing internationally for some time.

The move comes five years after the Toronto launch of Lyft’s rival Uber sparked protests by taxi drivers.

Toronto city council introduced rules to allow Uber to operate legally last year.