Malta’s first “green” car-sharing system was launched Wednesday, with close to 1,000 users already registered.

The initiative will allow people to share electric cars by parking them in a designated parking spot and then allowing other users to find and use the car via an application.

Cars are often stationary for most of the day, since people stay in working in their office, Transport Minister Ian Borg noted.

“That car can now be used by other people, maximising parking space, time and the resources of the car itself,” Dr Borg said.

Some 150 electric vehicles are already available, and the company hopes to have another 150 by the end of next year. A number of charging points have also been made available.

Read: Studies under way to see when to stop all petrol and diesel cars

The country has set an indicative target of 5,000 electric vehicles uptake by 2020, but data tabled in Parliament shows only 1,356 registered electric vehicles had been registered by 2017.

Criticism from councils

Speaking at the launch, Car Sharing Services Malta CEO Liran Golan said 450 parking spaces across 68 localities have been allotted for the initiative.

The scheme has already come under criticism from residents and councils in some of those localities, with complaints about parking bays being lost and a lack of consolutation.

The Sliema local council said the initiative had detrimental effects on residents’ parking spaces, after 20 slots were allocated for the initiative.

However, Dr Borg insisted local councils had been consulted about the initiative around two years ago and had not objected to it before residents raised their concerns.

"We cannot continue to complain about these challenges without embracing change," he said.

How does the initiative work?

Users must download the GoTo Malta app and register by uploading their driving licence and ID number. They can then find the car closest to them and type in a four-digit pin code provided. When done, they park the car in a designated parking spot and pay the allotted fee.

Membership is €7 a month and provides access to GoTo vehicles. A pay-to-go option for €0.28c per minute is also available and covers insurance, road licence tax, Valletta CVA fees, charging and parking costs. 

The €8 million initiative is run by Car Sharing Services Malta, a subsidiary of CAR2GO Israel.

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