A former Australian prime minister became an impromptu cab driver when he gave four “lovely but tipsy” strangers a lift during a downpour.

Kevin Rudd, who served as PM between 2007 and 2010 and again briefly in 2013, had just dropped his family at a restaurant in Queensland on Tuesday and was looking for somewhere to park when he picked up the quartet.

His daughter Jessica Rudd tweeted: “Dad just dropped us off at a restaurant in Noosa then went to find a park because it’s raining.

“Then I thought I saw some people pile into his car, told myself it wasn’t—must be a similar looking Uber.

“It wasn’t. It was Dad’s car.

“The lovely but tipsy crew had been at the restaurant since lunch and asked for a lift to Hastings St. Said they’d pay.

“He said he’d give them a lift. Took them half the ride to discover who their driver was.”

Mr Rudd, 63, later confirmed the story on Twitter.

He wrote: “Guilty as charged. Four young Melburnians getting drenched in a Queensland subtropical downpour at Noosa last night with no Uber in sight… So what’s a man to do?

“Good kids. I hope they’ve had some fun up here.”

Ms Rudd’s tweet got a positive response on Twitter, with many saying the act was typical of her father.

One Twitter user replied: “That’s why your father resonates with Australians.”

Another said: “He is a good sport your dad. He is a decent man, far and away the most intellectual PM we have had in decades. And he is not frightened to give a hand to those struggling.”