Opening on Thursday, 21 December, the new pickup zone brings added convenience for travellers, who previously have had to walk to a designated area between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3.
“Riders have long been asking for a more convenient pickup experience at Sydney Airport so we are thrilled to provide a five-star pickup experience right at the kerbside of one of the busiest domestic terminals in Australia,” says Dom Taylor, Uber’s managing director, ANZ.
The new Uber pickup zone mirrors the initiative at Melbourne Airport, which has reduced wait times for riders by 50 per cent.
“With rideshare now accounting for nearly 40 per cent of all pickups at Sydney Airport, we needed to provide a pickup experience that best caters to consumer preferences, while prioritising safety and convenience,” says Taylor.
To reduce congestion, Uber drivers will wait in a designated holding lot.
Passengers arriving in Sydney via the T2 terminal will continue to access Uber rides via the existing priority pickup zone.
“Long term, we would like to roll out a kerbside pickup zone at our T2 domestic terminal,” says Kenn Langcake, Sydney Airport’s head of commercial transport.
“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 one-third.”
Uber drop-offs will remain the same across all Sydney Airport terminals.
