Overview
Most punters get to Melbourne Park during the Australian Open via public transport, which tends to be packed with hordes of hot and sweaty tennis lovers. But this year, the teams at Uber and Kia are getting more folks into air-conditioned electric cars by giving away free rides throughout the tournament.
From Sunday, January 12—Sunday, January 26, you can volley between Melbourne CBD and the tennis precinct for free by booking complimentary rides. And you'll be driven around in one Kia's 50 fully-electric vehicles.
How do you snag one of these rides? Simple. When heading to the tennis, just pop 'Rod Laver Arena' as your destination. If you're going home, just pop in your address or anywhere else you feel like heading within a five-kilometre radius. If an EV is available, you can select it and enjoy the ride on Kia's dime.
But there's a small catch. You've got to be an Uber One member to score the free rides — which can be totally worth signing up for if you are planning to go to the tennis a few times this year. The free rides are also only up for grabs when a car is available, and there is a cap of $100 worth of travel each day per person (which really ain't bad).
Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith shared, "As the major partner of the Australian Open, we're already moving Grand Slam athletes around in a fleet of hybrid and electric vehicles and we wanted to give spectators the chance to ride to the tennis precinct in the same style, comfort and with the same reduced carbon footprint that the players are,"
"We're incredibly proud of our global partnership with Uber which helps unlock activations like this in Australia, allowing their members perks like free trips to and from the tennis in full VIP comfort."
Free trip to one of the greatest sporting events on the planet, all in the quiet comfort of a slick EV? That's not a bad start to any day at the tennis.
Uber One members can score free rides to and from Melbourne CBD and Melbourne Park from from Sunday, January 12—Sunday, January 26.