Recently there has been an influx of smart objects, or smartphone-connected furniture system and even car-hailing or renting systems. Now another of this smartphone-based technology has been developed. A company called Flywheel has been developing apps to let taxi passengers hail and pay for their ride using their smartphones.

On Dec. 22, the company announced that it has finally acquired approval from the California Division of Measurement Standards to use its developed TaxiOS system on taxis within the state. The system is a GPS-based taximeter that runs on a smartphone. This allows taxi drivers to calculate their customers' fares while managing payments, navigation and dispatch processes.

TaxiOS helps taxis utilize features as similarly seen with Uber and/or Lyft, including the ability for passengers to split rides or change fare rates based on the city's regulation. Flywheel CEO Rakesh Mathur said that this is a major development and shift for an industry that has been having trouble competing in recent years.

The San Francisco based company has started in 2009 developing software that will help drivers and passengers with GPS tracking and mobile payment processing. It is similar in this regard to Uber and Lyft but is more focused on both taxi fleets and its drivers who pay Flywheel 10% of every fare that was booked using its app. The passenger is also charged a $1 USD service fee.

Now Flywheel seems to be expanding in California. According to California's Division of Measurement Standards Director Kristin Macey, they have put the TaxiOS system through a variety of tests. They determined that it provides the same accuracy as a taximeter and gives consumers a real tie display of their current ride price, which users always expect in a taxi. She further adds that the system by the San Francisco based company also complies with their existing regulations.

Currently, Flywheel is operating in six US cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, San Diego and Sacramento. The company is also working on other jurisdictions that have regulations for taxi metering to allow their TaxiOS to be implemented.