Locals and visitors travelling from Sydney Airport’s domestic terminal will soon have a more convenient place to catch their ride on to their next destination, with a new Uber pickup zone set to launch ahead of the peak holiday travel season.  

From Thursday 21 December, riders will be able to meet their driver from the kerbside at Sydney Airport’s T3 Qantas domestic terminal, with a goal of providing a more seamless, safe and convenient pickup experience for arriving passengers.

Much like a normal Uber trip, riders should verify their driver using the information provided in the app such as registration, driver profile and vehicle make and model, before entering the vehicle. Driver- partners will wait in a nearby holding lot to ensure a steady flow of traffic while picking riders up within the zone.

The change will see Uber pick ups relocate from the Priority Pickup area between Terminals 2 and 3, to the kerbside directly outside Terminal 3, significantly reducing walking distance for riders, as well as congestion at the existing pickup area.

Riders arriving in Sydney via the T2 terminal will continue to access Uber rides via the existing Priority Pick-up Zone, and arrangements for Uber drop offs will remain the same across all terminals.  

Dom Taylor, Managing Director of Uber ANZ said: “Riders have long been asking for a more convenient pickup experience at Sydney Airport, so we are thrilled to be partnering with Sydney Airport to provide a five star pick up experience, right at the kerbside of one of the busiest domestic terminals in Australia.”

Following the successful launch of Uber’s pickup zone at Melbourne Airport, which has reduced wait times for riders by 50% since launching, the new Uber Sydney Airport pickup experience will intuitively monitor demand in conjunction with available space, to provide an easier pickup experience for both riders and drivers. 

“With rideshare now accounting for nearly 40% of all pickups at Sydney Airport, it was evident that we needed to provide a pickup experience that best caters to consumer preferences, while prioritising safety and convenience.” continued Taylor.

Designed to ensure as little disruption to other transport operators as possible, the only change will see the limousines and private hire car pickup area move a less than one minute walk away from the existing location from the 18th December.   

Kenn Langcake, Sydney Airport’s Head of Commercial Transport, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Uber on this initiative just in time for Christmas, and give Uber riders what they’ve been asking for, which is a pickup zone closer to the T3 domestic terminal,” 

“Longer-term, we would like to roll out a kerbside pickup zone at our T2 domestic terminal. In the  meantime, T2 passengers accessing Uber rides via the existing Priority Pickup area should have a much better experience, with congestion in that area set to come down by more than a third. This is a great outcome in terms of efficiency and safety just in time for the Christmas school holiday peak.”  

The new pickup zone at Sydney Airport’s T3 domestic terminal is Uber’s latest offering in its global network of bespoke airport pickup experiences, seeking to deliver seamless passenger experiences no matter where they land across the world.