Make your commute efficient and fun!

karmaME is a real time mass transit visualization app for smart phones.

Don't rely on the train schedule. See the real time locations of your trains on a live map.

See awesome local deals around you.

Win free stuff, like Metrocards!

As a bonus added feature, karmaME also shows daily deals around the users at a particular location. So, if the users' trains are late, they can enjoy a coffee or a discounted food deal while they wait inside the eatery rather than waiting in the cold at the platform.

karmaME is a crowdsourced app, however our users do not actively do anything to feed data into the karmaME system. karmaME collects the information passively whenever the user unlocks their phone in vehicles to do anything (like checking email, sending a text, or playing a game). See "How it works".

If you don't see enough trains on the map, tell your friends to download the app. Make your life a little bit easier and make your friends' lives a little bit easier.

Download free from
the Android Market

See karmaME In action

What we solve

One of the biggest complaints of NYC Subway/LIRR, Metro North and NJ Transit riders is that trains are late or early compared to their scheduled arrival times. In 2011, only 71% of NYC Subway trains were on time. "On time" is defined as reaching the destination within five minutes of the scheduled time, so many trains that were technically on time were also late.

The scheduling situation is no better in most parts of the world. At any given time, you can probably find thousands of people around the world wondering where their trains are, some waiting in the freezing cold and some in scorching hot weather.

karmaME is the solution. When we have enough users, everyone will see where their trains are, and then wait for them at much more comfortable places - like a nearby café (preferably enjoying something yummy at discounted prices) or in their air-conditioned car.

How it works

How do you know where the trains are?
All of the information provided to the system is contributed by the actual riders in these trains. However, the riders do not need to do anything other than turning on their smart phones (for any reason) while they are in those trains. When the GPS in the phone detects that the user is moving in a vehicle, the app sends pings to karmaME servers and our servers determine the location of the trains and feed it back to the other users waiting for the same train at later stops.

What do all the icons mean on the map?
Good question, here are some screenshots that explain what they mean.
The screenshot on the right is what you see when you launch the app (Mouse over the image to zoom).
Your current location is marked by the Golden Star.
The green train icon is where you're located at that moment.
The blue dots are the train station locations (click on them to see the name of the station - in this case, it is "Avenue U Station").
If you have a few minutes before the train comes, click on one of the orange icons to get a food deal.

Blue dollar signs are other deals around you that might be interesting to you.
When you click on an orange icon, you'll see a summary of the deal (as seen on the second screenshot to the right).

If it sounds interesting, click on Redeem to see the details of the deal and make a purchase.

Turkish food, YUM!!
The green train icon shows where the train is at this exact moment.

Click on the green train icon to see where the train is headed to.

Can I use karmaME with my Android, iPhone or Blackberry?
We only have karmaME for Android right now. However check back soon for iPhone version availability. Sorry Blackberry.

So the phone uses the GPS, how will it affect my battery?
It depends on how often you use your phone. Most of our alpha users did not see a significant change in their battery life. Our survey indicated that the app reduces the battery life of a phone by approximately 5% - 10%.

So you are using my location data. What about my privacy?
Please see the "Privacy" section for further info. But in short, we do not know who you are, we only collect your device ID which can't be used to identify you and we do not share this information with anyone. Seperately, our servers only receive your location data when you are moving in a vehicle, not when you are chilling out at a café.

Why do you collect my Device ID then?
We're glad you asked that. With your device ID, we can see how much data you contribute to karmaME and how much Karma you share with your community. These karma points will earn you some goodies down the road, maybe even free metro cards, and bragging rights of course.

What areas are covered by karmaME now?
We are currently only operational in NY, NJ and MA. We will selectively add new states and new countries (yes, karmaME can work anywhere on the globe where there is public transportation). Please check back to see when coverage for additional areas is available. Or email us and ask to be on the priority list, if we get enough interest from a particular area we will activate the service there first.

About US

Cem Karaca

Chief Bottle Washer

Cem always thought that an app that allows him to see where his train is would be so cool, everytime he stepped on a train platform, especially when it was freezing cold outside. Now he hopes that there are other people like him living all around the world. In his previous life, he worked on several hedge funds on Wall Street and raised capital for private companies.

Matt Klenosky

Chief Technical Guy

Matt is not your typical geek. In addition to spending countless hours in front of his computer programming away, he was also the guitarist of a bad ass metal band. He is also a world traveler with a great appreciation for unique and exotic people and things.

Jason Van Anden

Android Yoda

Jason loves creating apps like karmaMe that save him time so that he has more time to create apps like karmaMe. An artist and inventor, his creations range from emotive robots and video games exhibited in art museums to machines the diamond industry relies on to quantify a gemstone's beauty.