Huge change to Uber pick-up at Sydney Airport ahead of Christmas

The new Uber pick up zone outside the T3 domestic terminal will be available from Thursday, December 21 in time for the busy holiday period.

It means passengers using the terminal, the hub for all Qantas and QantasLink domestic flights, will no longer have to walk to the existing Priority Pick-up area located between the T2 and T3 domestic terminals to catch an Uber.

The area is often overflowing with customers trying to get into the city, with drivers finding it nearly impossible to even enter the zone.

The big move is expected to decrease the traffic entering the Priority Pick-up area by 35 per cent.

Sydney Airport’s head of commercial transport Kenn Langcake said it was what travellers had been asking for.

“Rideshare now accounts for nearly 40 per cent of all pick-ups at the airport, up from just 7 per cent in 2016, so it’s important that we continue to evolve our services in line with shifting passenger preferences,” he said, announcing the change on Wednesday.

Passengers arriving via the T2 terminal will need to still continue to walk to the existing Priority Pick-up area to get an Uber or walk to the new pick-up zone at T3.

Dropping off passengers remains the same across all terminals.

“Longer-term, we would like to roll out a kerbside pick-up zone at our T2 domestic terminal,” Mr Langcake said.

“In the meantime, T2 passengers accessing Uber rides via the existing Priority Pick-up area should have a much better experience, with congestion in that area set to come down by more than a third.”

He added: “We also recognise that taxis remain a highly-valued part of the transport mix here at Sydney Airport so we are pleased that there are no changes to taxi ranks within the domestic precinct.”

Sydney Airport revealed last week it is expecting to have its biggest holiday period in four years with 2.6 million passengers anticipated between December 14 and January 3.

How will the new Uber kerbside pick up work?

Uber told news.com.au drivers will wait in a nearby holding lot at Sydney Airport “to ensure a steady flow of traffic” while picking passengers up within the new zone.

Passengers will book their trip on the app and then meet the allocated driver at the kerbside.

Sydney will not be using Uber’s PIN technology like in Melbourne. That allows passengers to request a ride in the Uber app, join a physical queue at the airport and when they’re at the front they give the next available Uber their PIN, instead of locating a specific driver.

It was launched at Melbourne Airport in an Australian-first, along with the new kerbside pick-up area, in December 2021.

An Uber spokeswoman said the changes had reduced wait times for riders by 50 per cent since launching.

Responding to questions about the PIN technology, she said: “While this is not currently available in New South Wales and at the new Sydney Airport pick up zone, we do believe it would significantly support evolving demand at Sydney Airport.

“We hope to work with the NSW government to make this available to riders and drivers in the future.”

She added Uber was working with other airports across the country to improve the Uber pick-up experience for locals and visitors.

What is the new Uber pick up zone replacing?

From Monday, December 18, T3 passengers being picked up by limousines and private hire cars will need meet their driver approximately 80 metres further east along Shiers Ave.

The airport said it was about a one-minute walk from the existing location.

This new kerbside zone for limousines and private hire cars will have five bays and will be supplemented by an additional dedicated zone in the Priority Pick-up area, where there will be a further four bays.

If passengers are using rideshare operators that are not Uber, they can continue to meet them at the Priority Pick-up area located between the T2 and T3 domestic terminals.

Additionally, all ground transport operators who have passengers with mobility needs or disabilities will be able to use any one of four accessible pick-up spaces across the domestic precinct.