GoCarma 4+

This app does the job of providing the HOV rates when traveling on toll roads, but the required “always allow” location requirement is very concerning.

Where is my location data stored? How long is this information kept? Who has access to all of my location data? Is the data shared with any third parties?

I expect that the standard legalese would be the response to most of these questions.

This forces me to disable and enable location services for this app depending on my commute. Not the optimal situation, but it gets the job done. It will be up to each person to decide the value of saving money on their commutes. Other than the location information concerns, the app is easy to use and seems to work as expected.

Hi Algorami. Thank you for taking the time to submit an app review. If you prefer, you may choose to allow access to Location Services "While using the app" only. In this case, you'll need to remember to open the app prior to your departure, so that your travel through a TEXpress Lane can be verified. The benefit of granting permission for the app to always access location services is that it enables the app to automatically awaken when you travel in the TEXpress Lane, even when the app is closed.

If you open the Privacy screen in the app, you can read more about how your location data is used to verify the HOV status of your vehicle. You can also see the exact location data that has been saved - all of which expires after 60 days. If you have any questions, you may chat with us directly in the app - just tap on the Contact Us option in the app menu.

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

Hi crlnprchn - Thank you for taking the time to submit a review. We review user feedback each day as a product team, so it really helps us to plan our next product updates.

There should be no / minimal impact on your battery. The app very rarely uses GPS - the "Always Allow" permission is required to enable iBeacon / Bluetooth Low Energy detection of when you're in the car. This is part of the "Location Services" permission on iOS, and it enables the app to report "In Car" status even when you don't have the app open.

One of the downsides of people pre-activating their HOV status with the previous app is that it led to some people activating HOV status even for non-HOV trips. This is a violation of HOV discount policy and has the negative impact of increase toll prices for all road users. It was also a very common problem that people would forget to set their HOV status in advance of the trip.

You don't need to have a physical pass for each person in the car. You need a GoCarma Pass for each car. Most users simply need the app on their phone. However, those who travel in TEXpress Lanes with children can also request an Occupant Pass. These passes do not collect any data - they simply transmit a Bluetooth identifier (number) that enables the app to know when you're in the car.

We'd be happy to talk through your concerns further if you send us a message in the GoCarma app, and thank you again for taking the time to send your feedback - we really appreciate it.

The claim is that GoCarma will allow you to get HOV discounts. But that's a joke, because they make it next to impossible to get things set up, even for people such as myself who are quite tech-savvy. Heaven forbid my grandparents try to set it up.

The Occupant Passes are even more of a joke. Nowhere in the app is there even an option to set up the OP that I ordered and received for my child, as directed by the instructions that came with the device. This is completely absurd! Why would you deploy an utterly faulty product that your software doesn't even support? Why is your documentation not more straight forward?

It's like GoCarma is doing lip service claiming to provide discounts, but they do everything in their power to make it next to impossible to actually GET the discount.

Hi redfishperson. You can set up the Occupant Pass by simply tapping on the Menu and selecting "Occupant Passes". I understand from your conversation with our Support team that you were accidentally logged into another account which did not request the Occupant Pass. I trust that you were able to log in to the original account you created and to activate the Occupant Pass successfully. If not, please send us another message in the app and we'll be happy to help further.