GoCarma Reviews

by Crlnprchn

Not only is it incredibly inconvenient to have GoCarma “always allow” location, which has made my phone battery die faster, but having to use the this app sensors is so unnecessary.

The claim that people would forget to set their HOV before traveling as a reason to switch to this is absurd. It was so much easier to set a weekly schedule instead. Not to mention that if you travel with children that don’t have smart phones, having to order an occupant pass for them feels like an invasion of their privacy. The toll tag was enough personal information. Now we have to have physical passes for each person traveling in the car? Certainly not environmentally friendly, private, or convenient.

This feels like an unnecessary invasion of privacy, as well as unfriendly to the environment with the physical passes required. Users should have the same options to set a schedule, as well as opt out of the “always on” location and add children to the account so there’s no physical piece required.

by Doesnt Wantbadstar

I can see why GoCarma has such a low rating. The other app sucked with a 15 minute activation time, but now you have to wait to get a go carma pass to blue tooth to it in your vehicle and allow the toll road authority to track all your whereabouts.

I hate dealing with the toll road authority. They regularly foul things up and are a beating to deal with.

by Zarlyn

This government affiliated app used to allow location tracking “only when using” GoCarma . As a software developer myself, this level of permission would work just fine if you open GoCarma while driving. However, now it is forcing users to “always allow” tracking by GoCarma . A government affiliated app that forces you to allow it to always track you? And it’s your only way to get HOV rates? This simply should not be the case where a citizen is forced between these two options. TxDOT should remove the license from this company to provide this service and find a trustworthy developer.

by Bob7503

GoCarma insists on accessing my location always - not just when using GoCarma . I don’t allow that for any app. If you travel with a companion, they have to download GoCarma , sign on to my account and allow location access. That’s too much to ask of a friend who is just along for the ride.

I travel with my granddaughters and have twice requested an Occupant Pass. The request was just ignored.

This process is intrusive, awkward and just plain dumb. I suspect the real purpose may be to discourage HOV discounts. Nothing is this terrible by accident. And, please spare me the patronizing reply.

by AMaench

Having to have the always on location services is a huge privacy concern and a big no no in my book. There is no way I will allow GoCarma to run all the time. This has to be fixed to only be allowed while using GoCarma . There is no reason it can’t be setup that way and just used right before you get on the HOV to check in with GoCarma and the puck. GoCarma is far to invasive when it comes to always needing location data.

by Stap31

Tried all the steps. Still says Not in Car which means no discounts. Chatted with support multiple times. Seems like a technology that works less than 50% of the time was rolled out with. Lot of fanfare and is now swindling people by not giving them proper discounts.

Can’t speak to a live person. The script is the same to repeat the steps sitting in your car. All this to just get a discount which in years pst was available as a right to drive in a HOV lane. Pretty pathetic! Someone needs to fire this app.

by Nickjjfdttefghj

App is only part of the setup. You have to order beacons for every car and every kid for every car. GoCarma by itself is worthless because you have to order hardware for all of your cars and all of your kids.

Now when I try to close GoCarma it says I need to always have GoCarma open to work correctly. So no you need to remember to open GoCarma also before you go. This is worse than the previous app!

by Arynfaye

There’s no reason why GoCarma always needs to know where I am. The “iBeacon” excuse is flimsy at best. I take a screenshot each time Apple alerts me to their location tracking. Just this week, over a 3 day period, GoCarma checked my location 20 times. I was only on a toll road 1 day, a round trip completed within 2-3 hours. How can this be explained as necessary? Most times I’d rather pay the TollTag rate

by Jamessmith4591

App is constantly checking for GPS location now since IOS14.5 feels like an invasive of privacy and of course it’s forced to take advantage to HOV for a family of 5. They really need to find a way to make GPS data completely unneeded. The Bluetooth IBeacon excuse is one thing but the GPS data they are collecting is crap. My phone should not be sending me location requests at work midday for this app.

by Panamakid107

GoCarma FORCES customers to “always allow” your phone location to be tracked. This is IN ADDITION to placing a device in your vehicle glove compartment.

The response is to help consumers who “forget” to activate or to help ensure they are given proper credits for HOV. If that’s the case let that be a responsibility of the user, not the company. Since the arrival of this this app service to the Dfw metroplex, prices have risen so the idea that costs are reduced is false. Apple should leverage GoCarma Store in forcing GoCarma to be flexible and stop collecting data. I’m fully aware that I don’t “have to” use the express lane, but given this project was funded and is patrolled by officers that all receive TAX PAYER DOLLARS. I have a right and a responsibility to respond to this pathetic partnership express lanes/ ntta has formed with this app.

by Jake Vyner

Why do you constantly pester me to turn Bluetooth or leave my location always on? I turn notifications off so I won’t get constantly pestered and tracked and then y’all complain about me turning notifications off. Completely invasive, ridiculous app.

by SyragK

As I walk through a parking lot, it tells me I am detected in car. it is detecting various this app tags in different cars. This means they know where different cars are, even if the cars owner has disabled GoCarma on their phone.

Also, this app gets to know who is in your car with you (if they have the this app app installed), whether or not you’re using a toll lane.

this app is a bit of an invasion of privacy.

Setup is also a bit more complicated than it seems it should be. They should be able to get the tag number from the license plate or vise versa. Or get it with your TX tag or roll tag account.

by Lawkercai

Works well, wish it was available on other Diamond lanes too.

by MSAmyS

I use this everyday to commute and love it.

by Jennance76

Worked wonderfully, why not save while you drive. No brainer.

by ITresell

Love GoCarma! Such a great way to save on expensive tolls! Definitely recommend.

by Emmett M

50% toll discount! Not too hard to set up, with friendly app support.

by Z2kaj

GoCarma makes everything so easy. The negative reviews are people who can’t figure out how to properly use GoCarma and or complain about phone battery... dumb! Thanks for making HOV so much easier

by Brian Nichols

I like how technology has made it easier to unlock doors at the office, set up a floor-cleaning robot to vacuum everyday etc.

It’s also great to see state and federal governments make it easier and more automatic for us to pay appropriate tolls for our roads, and I love how this program allows discounts for a more equitable fare for using roads more efficiently, by rewarding people for having more people in cars, and this less people clogging up the highway. Genius!

by Jdizz325

As an avid carpooler this is so much better than the previous system. I’d often forget to set GoCarma . With this system I don’t have to do a thing!

by CJ7117

GoCarma requires your phones location to be set to “Always Allow”. I cannot use an app where I can’t use it as “While Using GoCarma ” as it is a privacy concern.

by Ffdgrrhhb

GoCarma kills your battery since it is always running in the background...

by Grins4all

I have family all over the country do I have to have them download GoCarma before exiting DFW airport to head home, so I can get the HOV discounts? If so this is absurd

by Jdjdjdisidksjeb

So now I have to have an app on my phone, my wife’s phone, blue tooth devices for each of my kids, and blue tooth devices for each of my cars.

How the heck am I supposed to keep all of these charged? GoCarma uses my location all the time, kills battery life, and just all around complicates an already existing simple solution.

Way to go guys, way to guy DFW TEXPRESS.

Time to write my local and state representatives.

by J. Mansfield

Finally a simpler solution! Trying to get myself and my two children out the door in the morning is hard enough. I never remembered to set up my HOV status in the DriveOn app (until I’m entering the TEXpress Lane, of course). Now that I have this app set up and Occupant Passes in my kids diaper bag, I will FINALLY be able to take advantage of the discount I should have been earning all along.

by JBExpress

Love this! So easy to use!!

by Cj-mu

Very easy setup! Can’t wait to use GoCarma .

by Andrewcook0

Ugh I hated having to pre register before. Signing up for an app once is waaaaaayyyy better than having to do it EVERY SINGLE TIME.

by 9-5mom

My pass arrived today and I set it up in a few minutes. Less painful that I had expected

by KlaatuBarada

Getting up and running on this has been surprisingly easy. With the occupancy pass, my daughter (still) doesn’t need to have a cellphone. That feature is much appreciated. Nice... Having this is really a no-brainer for me. Very much enjoying getting AUTO-HOV credit. Pun intended.

by Brook Rose

The new this app app is simple to set up. It took one minute to activate the Bluetooth thing for my glove box. I’m so relieved I don’t have to declare HOV status anymore! I just used the Invite A Friend feature to send GoCarma link to my passenger. He added it while I was driving towards TEXpress lanes and now we’re both done. This is so much easier than the previous app!

by Gi Joe #1

After reading the other reviews I had some privacy concerns with GoCarma. However, I don’t anymore. Their privacy policy was available on their website. I was also able to find information about how all of my phone permissions are actually used. It’s not big brother at all.