Taxi rides throughout the Golden State may soon offer an Uber-like experience. On Tuesday, California’s Division of Measurements Standards gave taxi operators in the state the green light to make use of Flywheel Software Inc.’s smartphone-based TaxiOS that features electronic dispatch, payments, navigation, GPS-based metering and surge-free pricing.

Flywheel’s TaxiOS has been on trial in 70 FlywheelTaxi-branded (previously  DeSoto Cab) cabs in San Francisco since October and will roll out to more than 200 of the company’s cabs in that city by February with vehicles in other California cities where it operates to follow, including Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego.

“California has long been one of the technological and economic leaders in the world, and with the approval of our software-based meter the state has again taken a big step in advancing leading edge urban transportation,” said Rakesh Mathur, Flywheel CEO in a statement. “A smartphone in every car is the only way to advance the taxi industry, and we now have a mobile platform that can replace every expensive and outdated piece of taxi hardware, while making drivers and fleets more money than ever before.”

Flywheel’s TaxiOS combines a smartphone app and cloud storage to replace the taximeter, card payment terminal, and navigation and dispatch systems while allowing passengers to order a cab in real-time, track its arrival by GPS, pay for their fare via their smartphone and even split fares with fellow riders.

For passengers, this offers a similar experience to that provided by ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft. For cab drivers, TaxiOS enables flexible schedules, including part-time hours and taxi pickup closer to drivers’ homes.

As for the approval process, Flywheels’ metering software underwent a battery of tests to determine its accuracy. “We determined that the software provides the same level of accuracy as a taximeter and gives consumers a real-time display of current ride price, something they expect in a taxicab. The Flywheel system also complies with our existing regulations that taximeters must meet, to charge passengers by time or distance depending on the vehicle’s speed, never both at the same time,” said Kristin Macey, director of California’s Division of Measurement Standards.

Flywheel aims to get similar approval for New York City in early 2016, and aims to expand throughout the U.S. in time.

Image credit: ooznu, Flickr