Welcome to GoCarma, the app that rewards you for making sustainable commute choices.
Whether you carpool, vanpool, take transit, bike, walk, or telework, GoCarma automatically detects your commute trips and helps you earn cash incentives for reducing your drive-alone miles.
This guide will help you get set up and ready to start earning rewards in the SBCTA VMT Mitigation Bank Pilot.
✅ Who Can Participate
To join the program, you must:
Be 18 years or older
Live or work in San Bernardino County
Commute to a physical work location at least some of the time. Fully remote workers aren’t eligible, because rewards are based on reducing your actual commute trips.
🚀 Step 1: Download the App
Download GoCarma from the App Store or Google Play Store on your smartphone.
Make sure you’re using the latest version to ensure accurate trip tracking.
🪪 Step 2: Create Your Account
Open the GoCarma app and tap Sign Up.
Enter your home and work addresses and the name of the company where you work.
Enter your typical commute schedule. If your schedule varies you can select different hours for each weekday.
Confirm your eligibility to participate in the program.
Consent to the Terms of Service.
Enter your name, email address, and a secure password.
Verify your phone number by entering the code you receive by SMS.
Verify your email by clicking the link sent to your inbox.
💡 Your commute schedule matters. GoCarma tracks trips automatically so an inaccurate schedule can cause trips to be missed or only partly recorded.
📍 Step 3: Enable App Permissions
To automatically detect your commute trips, GoCarma needs certain permissions on your phone.
Please make sure the following are enabled:
Location: Set to “Always Allow”, with Precise Location turned on
Motion & Fitness / Physical Activity: Enabled
Bluetooth: Enabled (for identifying when you carpool with another GoCarma user)
Notifications: Enabled, to receive program updates and important notifications
You can check your permissions anytime in the app: Menu → Privacy → App Permissions.
📱 Android users: Android phones often put apps to sleep in the background, which can cause missed trips. Please also follow these two guides:
💡 These settings allow GoCarma to recognize your commute trips automatically, so you don’t need to log them manually.
📆 Step 4: Complete Your Baseline Period
Before you can earn and cash out rewards, GoCarma needs to establish your Baseline Period. To do this, complete 2 drive-alone commute trips within 30 days between your registered home and work locations, so the system can verify that you sometimes commute to work by driving alone. (Incentives are available only to participants who show that they have changed their commute from driving alone to another mode.)
Your baseline helps ensure that all future incentives represent real reductions in vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
You’ll see your Baseline Status on your Home Screen. It updates automatically as you complete eligible trips. Once your baseline period is complete, you’re eligible to start earning cash incentives.
⚠️ If you change your home or work address, your baseline resets and you’ll need to complete a new one.
Learn more: Understanding Your Baseline Status
💵 Step 5: Earn Incentives for Sustainable Trips
After your baseline is complete, GoCarma awards incentives when you:
Carpool or vanpool
Take transit
Bike
Walk
Telework (stay home and avoid a commute; remember to tap Telework in the app that day)
Each trip earns credits based on your miles saved and your mode of travel. You can view your progress and total rewards in the app anytime.
Learn more: How to Earn Money for Your Commute
💸 Step 6: Cash Out Your Rewards
You can cash out your incentives as a VISA eGift Card once you meet all of these requirements:
You’ve completed your baseline period.
You’ve stayed active, with at least 4 commute trips in the last 30 days. Any mode counts.
Your balance is at least $10.
You haven’t cashed out in the last 30 days.
When you’re eligible, open the app menu (☰), go to Cashouts, and tap Cash Out. Your eGift Card will be sent to your verified email address.
💡 If you go a long time without commuting or teleworking, your ability to cash out may pause until you’re active again.
Learn more: All About Earnings and Cashouts