There’s good news for those of you planning to jet-set off to the land of West End and Farmer’s Union Iced Coffee soon: Your ride from the airport just got a hell of a lot easier.
Uber has today officially won the right to allow UberX drivers to pick up passengers from Adelaide Airport, bringing to an end a stalemate at the airport and ending the taxi industry’s lucrative monopoly on the pick-up rank.
From today, passengers will be able to call UberX cars to the airport at a dedicated 16-car bay parking lane on the western edge of the airport’s carpark. Until midday today, passengers were geoblocked from calling UberX to the area surrounding the airport.
Previously, and like other major airports including Melbourne, passengers were only allowed to use taxi and hire cars (including the luxury Uber Black service) from the pick-up rank at the airport. Today’s announcement, jointly unveiled by airport authorities and Uber representatives, changes that.
Adelaide now joins Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra as the fifth major airport in Australia to allow UberX into the pick-up queue, in moves that have angered the already-crotchety taxi industry.
A major announcement by Uber for passengers at Adelaide Airport @9NewsAdel #9newscomau pic.twitter.com/FR93wxza1j
— Edward Godfrey (@EdwardGodfrey9) August 10, 2017
All Uber rides from the airport will be subject to the same $2 per ride service fee that applies to taxi pickups from within the precinct. That fee is scheduled to rise up to $3 from October 1st onwards.
Adelaide Airport’s managing director Mark Young stated that today’s decision is important for providing passengers with more choice and competition for getting home from the airport.
The State Government’s decision to allow access to ride-sharing services has allowed us to invest in facilities to provide a better experience for our customers.
Creating a new dedicated taxi drop facility adjacent the terminal will also free up space in our existing drop-off zone for other users. We’ve spent more than $8million on taxi facilities over the past decade and we’re now investing a further $4million in new facilities.
The changes were brought into effect immediately.
Your move, Melbourne.
