Kia and Uber serving up free EV rides to the Australian Open

Kia and Uber Australia have partnered once again to offer free rides in electric vehicles (EVs) during this year’s Australian Open tennis tournament.

Between 9:00am and 10:00pm from January 12 until January 26, Uber One members wanting to travel to or from the Melbourne tennis precinct will be able to book complimentary rides under the Kia Electric option, where available.

There will be a fleet of 50 Kia EVs, including the EV5, EV6 and EV9 electric SUVs. All are wrapped in a special ‘Kia x Uber One’ monochrome livery.

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The free rides are subject to availability and will only be visible for Uber One members who input the Melbourne tennis precinct as the destination, or have it as the pickup location.

It’ll only work for rides within an 8km radius of the Melbourne tennis precinct. The rides are also capped at $100.

The companies estimate the 50 Kia EVs will collectively travel “tens of thousands of kilometres” throughout the two-week partnership.

Kia and Uber had a similar partnership last year during the Australian Open.

“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,” said Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith.

“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.”

“We’re fortunate to partner with Kia locally and globally,” said Uber Australia and New Zealand managing director Emma Foley.

“They share our vision for a fully-electric future and increase the number of EVs on Australian roads. And together, with the help of Uber’s driver partners, we will turn thousands of kilometres green to kickstart the summer.

“With Kia’s support in 2024, we were able to help thousands of Uber One members move around Melbourne, but we’re optimistic that this year, with a sixty percent larger EV fleet we will be able to double the amount of emissions-free kilometres travelled, and double the amount of Uber One members that are able to claim a free ride.”

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