SAN FRANCISCO — In a rush to beat its rival Uber to the public market, Lyft is preparing to start trading in early April, according to two people familiar with the company’s plans.

Lyft intends to begin its roadshow, in which it meets with investors to talk up the initial public offering, the week of March 18, the two people said. Companies usually start trading a week or so after a roadshow.

If Lyft wins this race, it will be the first ride-hailing company to go public. The two companies have been locked in a competition to go public, with Lyft facing pressure to be first to avoid being overshadowed by Uber, which is much larger.

The start-up, founded in 2007 by Logan Green and John Zimmer, is one of several tech companies pushing to go public early this year. Slack and Pinterest are among the others.