DENVER (AP) — Internet companies that connect riders to drivers with a few taps on a cellphone app will be regulated in Colorado with legislation soon to become law, putting the state at the forefront of a push to try to legitimize the flourishing tech startups.

The entry into the transportation marketplace by companies like Uber and Lyft has left legislators and local officials struggling to catch up with emerging technology that competes with traditional taxis and limos, but with less overhead. The drivers of the new companies, for example, use their personal cars and often do it for extra cash to supplement their income at other jobs.