Report details Uber's plans to thwart competitor Lyft

Ride-sharing service Uber is reportedly hiring independent contractors to schedule rides with rival company Lyft to recruit their drivers.

According to The Verge, citing internal documents and interviews with contractors, Uber ran a program called Operation Slog, where "brand ambassadors" would schedule rides with Lyft, then attempt to woo their drivers over to Uber.

The report says some recruiters even carry "driver kits," that allow a driver to immediately start working for Uber if they express interest. One contractor told The Verge recruiters could earn a $750 commission for convincing a driver to switch companies.

In a series of tweets Tuesday, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick dismissed the report. "We do recruit drivers, but article is full of misinformation and out and out lies," he wrote.

The report of Uber's driver pilfering arrives as the company is attempting to pursue a significant expansion. In June, Uber raised $1.2 billion to reach a valuation of $17 billion. Earlier this month, Uber confirmed it was hiring Obama political strategist David Plouffe as its senior vice president of policy and strategy.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.