MELBOURNE – Ride-sharing app Uber has just announced that from today 16 August, passengers flying into Melbourne Airport will be able to order an economy UberX for pick-up from two dedicated zones outside both international and domestic terminals.
These zones are set to be located in Lane 1 of the main T1, T2, T3 building and in the Level 2 “transport hub” outside T4.
Currently, the only approved Uber rides for Melbourne Airport at UberBLACK. This is a premium service with three dedicated pick-up zones two of which are outside the main T1, T2, T3 building and the third outside the T4 building within car hire zones. According to Uber’s fare estimate, an UberBLACK from Melbourne Airport to Melbourne CBD is approximately $87-113.
UberX is its more economical alternative, which stands to save riders around half the price when compared to UberBLACK. While official prices haven’t been released on the Uber site yet, Uber’s fare estimate to Link road, just outside Melbourne Airport, comes in at $36-47 to give you an idea of possible costs.
The privilege of being able to catch an UberX outside Melbourne Airport doesn’t come for free either, with drivers being charged a fee to access these zones. This amount will be revealed at the launch tomorrow and is likely going to be passed onto the passenger at the end of their ride. With potential savings of $50+ however, it may be worth it.
This isn’t the first time UberX has been approved to pick up passengers from a major Australian airport. Last year, Sydney gave the green light for UberX drivers to enter the public pick-up zone at Sydney Airport for free so long as they entered and exited within the allotted 10/15 minute fee-free period.
The approved pick-up zones for UberX and UberBLACK at Melbourne Airport are below.
For those looking to catch an Uber to the airport, UberX is also allowed to drop off passengers anywhere along Departures Drive and at the drop-off zone of the terminal 4 transport hub.