Parking spaces left vacant by defunct car-sharing company GoTo remain a free-for-all one year on from the energy minister suggesting they be used exclusively for electric cars. 

Of the six sites visited by Times of Malta recently, none had been allocated for alternative use, with the majority still equipped with GoTo charging stations. 

Most were still sporting GoTo reserved parking signs warning other motorists their cars could be towed, despite the company having ended its Malta operations in September 2022.

Some were used by motorists, who had taken the opportunity to park their vehicles in the free spaces.  

At the height of its operation in Malta, the company – which offered electric cars and mopeds for hire without a reservation – had 450 dedicated parking spots across the country, with most found in St Julian’s, Sliema and Gżira. 

GoTo decided to pull out of the country due to a “lack of user uptake” in its services and the “deep impact” of the pandemic which it said had made its business “financially unsustainable”.

Shortly after the company ceased operations, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said there were inter-ministerial discussions about what to do with the spaces. 

“We are in discussions with the transport minister and Transport Malta to reach agreements on these parking spaces,” she said last year. 

“Of course, my own preferred option and the option of my ministry is that these parking spaces are used for electric cars. We want to see more charging points available for those who have electric cars,” Dalli said. 

None of the spaces visited were equipped with charging points for private electric cars and none had been reserved exclusively for such vehicles.

On Monday, a spokesperson for Transport Malta told Times of Malta it was in discussions with GoTo to decide how the bays would be allocated. 

“The preference is to allocate these parking spaces for electric vehicles, although there are some pending legal matters that need resolution before implementation can proceed,” the spokesperson said. 

Meanwhile, an Energy Ministry spokesperson said there are currently 372 public charging point across Malta and Gozo. Of these, 32 are fast-charging and 154 are ‘medium-charging’ points. 

According to data from the National Statistics Office (NSO), by the end of the second quarter of this year electric and hybrid vehicles accounted for three per cent of the total number of vehicles on the road, or just over than 14,000 out around 430,000. 

Last year, Dalli announced a new national policy for electric vehicle infrastructure aimed at regularising the sector and allowing private investors to become charging point operators.