After years of hard competition between Flywheel (formerly DeSoto Cabs) and Uber, Flywheel vehicles will be available on the Uber app as part of a one-year pilot that has recently received full approval from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

Hansu Kim, President of Flywheel, assured that rates and service are the same with Uber-booked rides that will be attended by Flywheel drivers.

"We are pleased to be partnering with Flywheel to help support drivers and provide riders in San Francisco with another transportation option," Guy Peterson, Director of Business Development at Uber, said in an earlier press release. "This partnership will give drivers increased flexibility and additional earnings opportunities as the pandemic recovery continues." 

San Francisco will be the first location to experience the integration, with other cities to come in the following months, "bringing new lucrative opportunities to drivers, assisting in the development of cutting edge rideshare technology, and providing more transportation options for passengers nationwide,” Flywheel stated, according to SFist.

"The ability to service Uber's best-in-class demand is an incredible opportunity for our drivers, and we are proud to be able to expand their reach as demand for rides increases,'' Kim said.  

According to the press release, "Flywheel's 50,000 drivers, in turn, will have the ability to provide service for those requesting rides in the Uber app, in addition to existing taxi ride demand," although it is not mandatory for San Francisco Flywheel cabbies to work with Uber — they can opt-out.  

The Financial Times recently reported that Uber believes "its chronic shortage of drivers is finally in the rear-view mirror."  

It can also be noted that earlier this year Reuters reported that Uber "planned to include every taxi on its Uber app by 2025." It recently partnered with Yellow Taxi in New York City.