Kia and Uber Australia have joined forces to help spectators moving through Melbourne unlock free rides in a fully-electric fleet of vehicles from Sunday January 12 until Sunday January 26.

The summer partnership will give Uber One members the opportunity to book complementary rides in Kia’s electric vehicles to and from the Melbourne CBD for the next fortnight.

A fleet of 50 sleek Kia electric vehicles will be deployed during these two weeks and will include the recently unveiled EV5 – with a freshly minted five star ANCAP safety rating – alongside Kia’s other fully electric luxury variants in the EV6 and the EV9.

“As the major partner of the Australian Open, we’re already moving Grand Slam athletes around in a fleet of hybrid and electric vehicles and we wanted to give spectators the chance to ride to the tennis precinct in the same style, comfort and with the same reduced carbon footprint that the players are,” said Kia Australia, CEO Damien Meredith. “We’re incredibly proud of our global partnership with Uber which helps unlock activations like this in Australia, allowing their members perks like free trips to and from the tennis in full VIP comfort.”

It’s estimated that throughout the two-week partnership, tens of thousands of kilometres will be traveled in the electric vehicles. 

“We’re fortunate to partner with Kia locally and globally. They share our vision for a fully-electric future and increase the number of EVs on Australian roads. And together, with the help of Uber’s driver partners, we will turn thousands of kilometres green to kickstart the summer,” said Emma Foley, Managing Director of Uber Australia and New Zealand. “With Kia’s support in 2024, we were able to help thousands of Uber One members move around Melbourne, but we’re optimistic that this year, with a larger EV fleet we will be able to significantly increase the amount of emissions-free kilometres travelled, as well as the number of Uber One members that are able to claim a free ride.”

The Kia eclectic convoy of vehicles will be wrapped in special Kia x Uber One monochrome livery and will appear on the Uber app under the Kia Electric option where available.

Uber is not an official sponsor or partner of the 2024 Australian Open.

How to book:

When travelling to or from the tennis precinct Uber One members will enter a location in the Melbourne tennis precinct as the destination (if headed to the tennis precinct) or their destination as normal (if leaving the tennis precinct).

The rides are subject to availability and will only be visible for Uber One members who are travelling within an eight kilometre radius of the Melbourne tennis precinct. The rides are capped at $100 AUD. 

Between 9am and 10pm from Sunday January 12 until Sunday January 26, if a Kia Electric vehicle is available, riders will be able to select that option and ride to their destination, with Kia picking up the cost of the ride for them.