There’s a greener, more cost-effective way of driving around Malta, GoTo Malta CEO Liran Golan tells Kristina Cassar Dowling.

Owning a car is primarily a necessity to travel from the proverbial point A to B. The convenience of climbing into your own personal vehicle to go to the office, make errands or head to some well-earned relaxation is one of the perks of modern living.

But in reality, the convenience is spiked with inconvenience – every morning, as our commute to work begins, we’re trapped inside a fuel-guzzling device that stands stationary in traffic for the majority of the time. And with the ever-increasing number of cars on local roads, the consumption and traffic problems are only the beginning – parking is yet another issue that local drivers are faced with on a daily, non-location specific, basis.

But when all hope seems lost, a fleet of hybrid and electric vehicles comes to the rescue.

GoTo cars are available for rental in highly populated and frequented spots around the islands. Malta and Gozo have, for the past seven months, seen eco-solutions pop up on our shores giving locals and visitors the chance to drive around with zero or low emissions. GoTo was the major contributor to this radical change and due to the positive impact this solution has had, the company is now offering a second service to the groundbreaking solution.

“With GoTo, we’ve created a mobility service solution for all those who live on the islands or come to visit for some reason or other,” said Liran Golan, GoTo Malta CEO.

Liran Golan, GoTo Malta CEO.

His comment here was in reference to car sharing, highlighting the importance of seeking a solution to the cluster of cars that block Maltese roads at any given hour of the day.

“The average trip in Malta is roughly 23 minutes,” continued Golan. “The GoTo function has from conception kept environmental, monetary and time-consuming factors close at its core and with the introduction of our new service we will hopefully target new users who can contribute to this eco-friendly and cost-efficient solution.”

Here Golan is referring to the Roundtrip service that is fresh on the market and eager to make the same environmental impacts as the One-Way service has done for the past seven months. The Roundtrip service on offer from GoTo is “aimed at reducing the number of cars on the road” with its community-like feel that strays away from the concepts of ownership while keeping convenience high on the list.

Getting yourself a car when you’re of age is seen as a rite of passage that is all but expected from society. But there’s quite a hefty amount of money required to own a car, let alone run it and maintain it. Adopting a car-sharing mentality means that car users are able to save 14 per cent of their income per month on car-related factors such as fuel, road tax, insurance, repairs, VRT testing, parking costs and other trivial yet necessary things like car wash visits.

These may be seen by few as a sacrifice for the many perks constant mobility provides, but what about the ghastly rate at which your vehicle depreciates the moment it hits the tarmac? There’s a lot of monetary loss connected with owning a vehicle and with minimal fees of €7 per hour gaining you access to the fleet of hybrid cars operating the Roundtrip solution by GoTo, those looking to break the bank and buy a vehicle may want to think again.

Locally, there is a constant, month on month increase in the number of cars on the road – and apart from the congestion, noise pollution and traffic build up that inevitably come with this, the nightmare of parking continues. But not with GoTo Roundtrips. With designated parking spots allocated to GoTo users, all drivers are guaranteed to find a parking spot on return at the end of the round trip. A simple check on the GoTo App will indicate whether available parking is within your reach, giving you a step up on the other drivers out there.

Golan continued to explain the perks of GoTo’s Roundtrip service pointing out that these services can act as a solution for a number of users from all walks of life.

“Whether you’re out running errands, hoping for a weekend trip to the beach or simply thinking of solutions to reduce costs while saving the environment, GoTo can be your solution.”

A GoTo Roundtrip may also serve you well if you are here on holiday, discovering the remote parts of the island, a local doing the rounds and hopping from one family member to the other or even a businessperson hitting two or three meetings throughout the day.

“My mission is for GoTo to be an alternative within the ecosystem, urging you to ditch your car and opt for a better solution.”

In its seven months of operation, the GoTo fleet has travelled a stunning 800,000km with 700 trips per day accumulated by the 4,200 active users of the service.

“One shared vehicle is serving a minimum of 28 people, and that’s amazing,” claimed Golan. He further explained that these numbers mean a lot to him and his team, because it is with these figures that he can proudly say, “The average car emits 200g of CO2/km, which means that GoTo has saved 150 tonnes of CO2 in the last seven months – and we are aiming for more in the coming months.

“We aim to provide a multi-vehicle fleet to the island. We are preparing the future for electric vehicle access and as the standards, accessibility and education on the matter increase, our fleets will increase, further reducing unnecessary costs, irreversible damage to the environment and safer, less congested roads for all locals and visitors to make use of.”