Lyft Replaces Glowstache With Amp Dashboard Light

Ridesharing service Lyft will ring in the new year with a new type of taxi light.

Come 2017, the company is shaving off its pink Glowstache ^[1], replacing it with a less hairy in-car connected device—Amp.

"With the introduction of Amp comes the retirement of Lyft's beloved pink mustache, which has evolved from the fuzzy Carstache on car grilles, to the sleek Glowstache dashboard ornament," Ethan Eyler, Lyft's head of ride experience, said in a statement.

"Both paved the way for Amp, which will sit on dashboards, illuminating the streets with an iconic glow while better connecting drivers and passengers," he added.

Starting Dec. 31, the in-car connected device will make drivers' and passengers' ride-sharing experience "smarter, safer, and more fun."

Rolling out first ^[2] to folks in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York City, Amp is expected to hit the road in all of Lyft's 200-plus markets by mid-2017.

The Beats Pill speaker-shaped accessory attaches to the vehicle's dashboard, making it visible through the windshield; commuters can identify their ride by matching an individual Amp's color to that displayed in their mobile app.

Messages, meanwhile, are pushed through a Bluetooth connection to the hidden screen on the back of the gadget.

Lyft also revealed its latest brand campaign: Ride on the Bright Side. Four 30-second TV spots (video above) and outdoor advertising are set to run through the end of 2016, highlighting the company's experience, driver quality, and safety.

That safety-first attitude is underscored by a recent partnership with Budweiser: Through Dec. 31, any passenger 21 years or older can get a free ride ^[3] (valued up to $10) from Lyft on weekends and holidays.

The Uber competitor, however, landed in hot water early this month when researchers uncovered ^[4] a "pattern of racial discrimination by drivers" using the ridesharing apps.