The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) for the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex, and they oversee a network of eight (8) managed lanes (www.TEXpress.com).

There are more than 120 miles of interconnected TEXpress lanes that form a network within the North Texas region. Managed to reduce congestion and keep traffic flowing, these lanes use variable, dynamic pricing in which tolls fluctuate based on real-time traffic conditions. The Regional Transportation Council established policies that provide a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) toll discount on TEXpress Lanes during weekday peak periods.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments and the Texas Department of Transportation deployed the world's first automatic occupancy verification system to provide users with a 50% toll discount for HOV2+ travel on TEXpress managed lanes. Dallas/Ft.Worth (DFW) is the fourth-largest region in the nation, with a population of 7.5 million. Part of the DFW Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) efforts are to provide discounts to carpoolers during rush hours on their managed toll lanes.

Tasked with replacing a manual high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) pre-declaration and roadside enforcement system, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) staff set out to find a more advanced and automated solution to improve ease of use for drivers, as well as to improve safety, reliability and reduce customer service complaints.

NCTCOG evaluated enforcement solutions including; cameras, in-vehicle hardware and pre-declaration tags/apps. None of these options were accurate, they were too challenging to deploy, extremely costly, and did not improve safety for law enforcement personnel. Ultimately, NCTCOG contracted with Carma Technology Corporation of Austin, TX, for a fully automated smartphone app, requiring neither driver interaction nor roadside enforcement.

GoCarma is a commercial off-the-shelf COTS smartphone app powered by AWS cloud servers. The GoCarma app does not require any interaction by the user before, during or after any trip. GoCarma does not require any infrastructure and moves away from enforcement by verifying occupancy to ensure the proper toll is applied. No guessing on vehicle occupancy on the part of law enforcement personnel or costly staff time examining occupant imaging photos. No customer support calls of users "forgetting" to set their switchable tag, and the program is not punitive, so customers don't complain that the system is primarily about revenue generation.

This program was launched after completing 3 federally funded pilots and seamlessly integrated with Cintra (the concession operator), Transcore (TXDOT's back-office integrator), and the North Texas Tollway Authority, which manages the metro area's electronic tolling.

Statistics As of May 2021

• Users>40,000
• Vehicles>30,000
• Transactions 1,250,000

Violating users receive a series of escalating warnings, and 98% change their behavior before the 4th notification. Habitual users get suspended from HOV discounts for 30 days, but can still use the managed lanes. To date, less than 1 of every 1,000 users has received a suspension, with violation rates less than 2%, and users give GoCarma an 86% satisfaction rating.

Drivers using the Dallas/Fort Worth Area (DFW) TEXpress Lanes now have a simple way to qualify for HOV toll discounts. Once set up with GoCarma, a vehicle's HOV status is automatically verified at TEXpress Lane locations using Bluetooth to verify that at least 2 people are in the vehicle. Only vehicles with a verified HOV status receive an HOV toll discount. Along with improving reliability and accuracy, GoCarma supports the political consensus for the move away from roadside enforcement to verification, which eliminates the need for roadside law enforcement spot checks to peer inside fast-moving vehicles or for costly photo image reviews.

GoCarma uses Bluetooth technology to automatically verify travelers in a carpool. No user interaction is required after setup, which reduces the potential for HOV violations and distracted driving. The GoCarma solution integrates with existing toll systems to ensure that HOV discount qualification is automatic, with discounts appearing on a road user's toll statement. GoCarma provides a free Occupant Pass option for passengers without smartphones, such as children or senior citizens, and protects user privacy by only collecting location data on TEXpress lanes during peak hours. GoCarma data is purged after 60 days and cannot be monetized, sold or shared with anyone.