Columbus has withdrawn a request for a temporary restraining order that would prevent the app-based car service Lyft from operating in the city. A lawsuit seeking a permanent injunction will continue, but Assistant City Attorney Steve Dunbar said his office withdrew the request for the restraining order because a similar request against UberX was denied this week.

Columbus has withdrawn a request for a temporary restraining order that would prevent the app-based car service Lyft from operating in the city.

A lawsuit seeking a permanent injunction will continue, but Assistant City Attorney Steve Dunbar said his office withdrew the request for the restraining order because a similar request against UberX was denied this week.

Both companies use smartphone apps to link customers with drivers who use their personal vehicles and to charge credit cards for the rides. City officials have argued that the drivers are acting as unlicensed vehicles for hire, a minor misdemeanor.

In his order, Franklin County Environmental Judge Dan Hawkins wrote that the companies are governed by existing city code and that drivers can be ticketed.

The temporary restraining orders would have halted UberX and Lyft operations in Columbus while the request for a permanent injunction played out in court, and would have given the city more time to finish writing rules designed to regulate the companies.

rrouan@dispatch.com

@RickRouan