Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1190498
18 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 DECEMBER 2019 COMMERCIAL GROUPE Renault has been named Manufacturer of the Year at TopGear.com annual awards ceremony. The accolade recognises the achievements of Renault, Da- cia and Alpine over the past 12 months. At the same event the Mégane R.S. Trophy-R collected the Per- formance Car of the Year award, while New ZOE was handed City Car of the Year. TopGear.com reflected on what made Groupe Renault this year's winner: "It's the variety that's key to Renault's ascension to Top Gear award-winning excellence. Its mainstream cars are fine, but give it a brief to nail, a set of very specific parameters to fulfil, and it chases perfection quite unlike any other car manufacturer." Commenting on the cov- eted award, Vincent Tourette, Managing Director Groupe Renault UK, said, "We are de- lighted to receive this award from TopGear.com. 2019 has been a fantastic year for Groupe Renault, with the launch of the All-New Renault Captur, New Renault ZOE and the All-New Renault Clio, the latter continu- ing a 30-year success story for the brand. "Dacia continues to go from strength-to-strength and was one of the few manufacturers to post increased sales figures this year. Meanwhile the rebirth of Alpine has gained further mo- mentum with the exciting intro- duction of the new A110S. But we don't stop here, 2020 is look- ing even more exciting." In 2019 Groupe Renault has launched seven new models in Europe, with All-New Clio, All-New Captur, New ZOE and New Koleos, plus New Trafic and New Master commercial vehicles. Groupe Renault named 'Manufacturer of the year' by topgear.com COOL Ride-Pooling is a first of its kind in Malta, a novel solution introduced by Debono Group. Somewhere between a private taxi service and public transport, it offers shared rides and pre-set rates. With traffic on Maltese roads increasing daily, Cool is providing a much-needed solution – saving time, money, and users' carbon footprint. The concept is simple: trips are booked via a dedicated app on either iPhone or Android. Riders enter details of their jour- ney, and are quickly added to a shared vehicle and picked up from a nearby cor- ner. They're then dropped off within easy walking distance – on average, 100m – of their chosen location. All journeys come in at a fixed rate of €4.95 per passenger within a certain zone (and €3.95 if travelling to or from hospi- tal). Now, when travelling a further dis- tance across zones, for instance, from St Julian's to the airport, an extra €2.50 charge will apply. Since launching in July 2019, Cool's zones of operation have been limited to Attard, Balzan, Birguma, Birkirka- ra, Blata l-Bajda, Floriana, Gharghur, Gwardamangia, Gzira, Hamrun, Ibragg, Iklin, Mriehel, Kappara, Lija, Madliena, Marsa, Msida, Naxxar, Swatar, Swieqi, Paceville, Pembroke, Pieta, Qormi, San Gwann, Sliema, St Julian's, St Venera, Ta' Xbiex, and Valletta. As of this week, the service will be ex- tended into the neighbouring localities of Mdina, Mtarfa, Rabat, Ta' Qali, Zebbug, Paola and Luqa, including the airport. This is the first step in Cool's plan to even- tually extend its ride-sharing service to everyone, everywhere on the island. Expanding into seven new localities will build on Cool's already booming user base. Still in its first six months of operation, the app has had over 35,000 downloads and completed over 65,000 rides. The demand is increasing, with frequent requests from people living outside the current service zone. CEO Laura Jasenaite commented, "we've had an overwhelm- ingly positive response so far. People are loving the fixed price, ease of booking, and stress-free drop off which frees them up from parking problems." To encourage regular ride-pooling, Cool has launched offers, students' discounts and monthly passes to lower the price per trip for frequent riders. Cool is making sustainable, accessible and affordable travel a reality – a win-win for the country and the planet. Cool ride- pooling extends service