Carma Technology and Texas Partners Complete Nation’s Largest Road Usage Charge Pilot, Demonstrating Smartphone-Based RUC at Unprecedented Scale

DALLAS & FORT WORTH, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Carma Technology Corporation (Carma), in partnership with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), today announced the successful completion of the nation’s largest road usage charge (RUC) pilot, demonstrating the ability of smartphone-based systems to operate at unprecedented scale.

Delivered using Carma’s smartphone-first platform, the pilot enrolled more than 41,000 participants and captured over 64 million miles of real-world driving, exceeding the combined scale of all prior U.S. RUC pilots. The effort showed that policy-grade mileage data, strong user participation, and operational flexibility can be achieved simultaneously—without proprietary in-vehicle hardware.

“This project shows that road usage charging can operate at real-world scale without one-size-fits-all data collection,” said Lawrence Mulligan, CEO of Carma Technology. “By using smartphones people already have, agencies can deploy RUC systems that are accurate, adaptable, and ready for statewide adoption.”

Most previous U.S. RUC pilots have involved hundreds or a few thousand volunteers. By contrast, this effort operated at orders-of-magnitude greater scale, allowing agencies to evaluate real-world performance across sustained participation, administrative workflows, and cost dynamics.

An independent evaluation conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) confirmed the program’s relevance for future statewide and multi-state RUC planning, particularly when compared with earlier approaches that relied on manual activation, vehicle pairing, or additional hardware.

“The scale of this pilot allowed us to evaluate road usage charging in conditions that closely resemble real deployment,” said Nick Wood, research lead at TTI. “That level of participation is critical for understanding system performance and long-term program viability.”

Because Carma’s platform is cloud-based and hardware-free, agencies were able to adjust rules, corridors, and pricing structures quickly, supporting applications such as managed lanes, tolling interoperability, and geographically specific policy design. The evaluation also showed that per-user administrative costs decline sharply at higher enrollment levels, a key requirement for sustainable statewide programs.

Together, the results provide strong evidence that Carma’s smartphone-based RUC technology can support mileage-based funding, managed lanes integration, and tolling interoperability while avoiding the cost, friction, and equity challenges of dedicated in-vehicle devices.

About Carma Technology

Carma Technology Corporation develops smartphone-based mobility systems that support road pricing, managed lanes, tolling interoperability, and incentive-based travel programs.

Contacts

Katy Linburg, Carma
[email protected]
214-476-3882