Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1060184
21 COMMERCIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 DECEMBER 2018 GET THE APP. FIND A NEARBY CAR. DRIVE YOURSELF FOR €0.28/MIN. FIND A NEARBY CAR. CAR SHARING HAS FINALLY ARRIVED. Get access to 450 reserved parking spaces around Malta and Gozo. Insurance and fuel included. Register on www.goto.com.mt €25,000 up for grabs at the GO Malta Esports Festival 2018 THE GO Malta Esports Festival 2018, which kicked off on Fri- day and ends today at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta' Qali is the largest esports event of its kind that Malta is yet to see this year. In it's sixth and largest edition, the iconic event hosted the passionate gam- ing community present on our island and abroad. Esports, a form of competition using video games usually takes the form of organised multiplayer video game competition between pro- fessional players. With a number of tourna- ments and a mix of local and international teams, the impres- sive prize of €25,000 is being offered to top gamers in an ar- ray of games including CS:GO, CODBO4, Fortnite, RL, HS, LoL, PUBG, DOTA and FIFA. "Over the years, esports has grown tremenduously and we can see a huge number of players from all around the world, inter- ested in such tournaments," said Kersten James Chircop from gamers.com.mt. "We're really looking forward to the event in every aspect imaginable as we'll be pushing our limits to ensure the highest quality of competi- tion for all who plan to visit us for the event." Eight of the best upcoming Counter Strike:Global Offensive teams in the world have been battling it out at the event for an initial prize pool of €13,000, starting online and ending the last four-team rounds offline live on stage at MFCC for the biggest prize pool in the whole festival. A €5,000 prize pool is also up for grabs for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, with gamers.com.mt teaming up with European Esports Gam- ing [EEG] to provide one of the best Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 competitions to date in Europe, having 22 teams coming from across Europe and with two of the teams coming from Malta itself. "Spectators are invited to ob- serve the high-quality esports; made possible thanks to the top- class tournament being organ- ised, fueled by large prize pools, inducing a new dimension of competition within participants. Spectators can also witness hun- dreds of gamers battle it out across the various tournaments available," he added. An estimated 15 teams also brought their computers to bat- tle it out for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, competing in multiple tournaments dur- ing the weekend to determine the best four-player squad for a wonderful prize of €1,500. Lastly, participants attending the Festival can also compete against players from two skill levels on the beloved football video game; FIFA 19, showcas- ing talents and skills in gaming for a final prize of €2,000. The GO Malta Esports Festival 2018 is endorsed by local and international sponsors, includ- ing GO, Gaming Malta and The Malta Tourism Authority. More information can be obtained on https://www.gamers.com.mt/ event/23/the-go-malta-esports- festival-2018. Car sharing: A choice for the environment POLLUTION and its main cause, traf- fic, have an undeniable and profoundly negative impact on quality of life. For motorists, the thought of facing grid- lock traffic every day is often accompa- nied by a sinking feeling of dread and anxiety. Motor traffic is responsible for a rise in air particulate concentrations and their associated repercussions – in fact, recent studies show that children attending schools in or near pollution hotspots are far more likely to develop respiratory conditions and illnesses. Earlier this year, the National Statistics Office reported that some 47 newly reg- istered vehicles hit the roads every day. So it's clear that a change in attitude is required if we are to slow the damage that traffic is inflicting on public health, infrastructure and the environment. Now, through a collaboration with Transport Malta, the GoTo car sharing scheme could help to trigger that seismic shift in thinking from a complete reli- ance on privately owned cars to a clean- er, healthier network of mixed mode transport. The key concept at play here is mixed mode or intermodal commuting. This means that instead of relying on a single form of transport (in most cases, a car that you own) to get you from point A to point B, a combination of two or more means is used instead. These modes include walking, cycling, public transport, ferries, hired vehicles, shared cars and privately owned cars. By ensuring that a significant portion of a journey is made using cleaner modes of transport, the overall impact of that jour- ney is lowered. The idea of car sharing is simple. In- stead of owning a car outright, a person essentially rents a vehicle as and when they need it. Recurring costs such as in- surance, fuel and regular maintenance are borne by the operator and not the customer. Given that most cars spend the major- ity of the day parked in one location, usu- ally outside the workplace or home, this model means that users only pay for a car when they are actually driving it and not when it's sat in a hard-won parking spot. Car sharing in any form can help to re- duce traffic in the long-term as it offers users an alternative to car ownership and encourages some outside-the-box think- ing about transport. Instead of immedi- ately picking up the car keys, users will be more likely to think about how their journey could be faster and/or cheaper if they opt for mixed transport. How GoTo Car Sharing Works In a collaborative effort with Trans- port Malta, GoTo car sharing is already changing the way people get around the Maltese islands, helping the environ- ment and improving public health along the way. The scheme is simple. At any time of the day or night, a GoTo member can fire up the GoTo app and locate the nearest GoTo car. There are 150 of these in circulation at the moment, parked in electric charging bays and parking spots located across Malta and Gozo. Once you're found a car nearby, the app allows you to unlock the car doors and get go- ing! Users are charged a flat rate of €0.28 per minute of use along with a €7 monthly membership fee, which means no hid- den costs, no worrying about the Valletta CVA system and no having to refuel be- fore returning the car. Once at their des- tination, the user then locks the car using the app and the transaction is complete. Reserved parking bays can be found all around Malta and Gozo, including sev- eral in the Sliema, Valletta, San Gwann and Msida areas. GoTo drivers can make use of the reserved GoTo parking spaces, which means there is no need to worry about finding a parking spot – it's there waiting for you! Already, there are an incredible 450 parking spots around the Maltese islands, reserved exclusively for GoTo users. The aim of this initiative is to show mo- torists that there are other ways of get- ting around, conveniently and on time, without having to own a car. Car sharing distributes the costs and the benefits of car use among a higher number of peo- ple, making it cheaper to rent a car for a short spell and try out intermodal trans- port than it is to be financially responsi- ble for the upkeep of a car. So why not try it today? For more information and to apply, please visit www.goto.com.mt