The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has approved Bolt to resume operations at airports under its management, following widespread complaints from passengers over the disruption of e-hailing services.
The authority announced the decision on Thursday, saying it had reached an operational agreement with Bolt after a series of engagements with the company.
According to FAAN, the agreement provides a framework that allows e-hailing services to operate while addressing regulatory, safety and security concerns within the airport environment.
The development followed concerns from passengers who complained about higher transportation costs and difficulties accessing affordable rides after e-hailing services were temporarily disrupted at FAAN-managed airports.
FAAN said it recognised the impact of the disruption and apologised to passengers who experienced inconvenience.
“FAAN is aware of and deeply appreciates the concerns expressed by passengers over the increased cost and inconvenience experienced during the temporary interruption of e-hailing services,” the authority said in a statement.
It maintained that its intervention was not motivated by economic considerations but by the need to address regulatory, safety and security issues associated with commercial transportation at airports.
FAAN said Bolt had now been cleared to resume its services immediately.
The authority added that discussions were ongoing with other e-hailing operators, expressing confidence that agreements with the remaining platforms would be concluded shortly.
It stressed that passengers would continue to have the freedom to choose their preferred means of transportation.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that whichever authorised service they choose operates within a safe, secure, orderly and accountable airport environment,” FAAN said.
Agency explains car-hire system
FAAN said it had been working for nearly 10 years to resolve challenges associated with commercial and e-hailing vehicles operating within airport premises.
The challenges, it said, include passenger solicitation, touting, unregulated operations, indiscriminate pick-ups and broader safety, security and accountability concerns.
The authority said the situation had become more difficult because some drivers operated across multiple transportation platforms.
To address the challenges, FAAN introduced the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System, known as ACHRAMS.
The agency stressed that ACHRAMS was not created as a rival to e-hailing platforms.
“ACHRAMS is not an e-hailing application and was never designed to compete with Uber, Bolt or any other mobility platform,” FAAN said.
It explained that the system was specifically designed to manage airport car-hire ranks and regulate authorised operations within those ranks.
FAAN also dismissed concerns that the system was intended to establish a monopoly in airport transportation, saying it supports competition among operators.
Taxi fares not new, says FAAN
The authority also sought to clarify the controversy surrounding airport taxi fares, saying the rates recently discussed publicly were not newly imposed by FAAN.
According to the agency, the fares existed before ACHRAMS was introduced and were not substantially different from those previously applicable at the airports.
FAAN said the main change introduced by ACHRAMS was greater visibility of the existing rates.
“What ACHRAMS introduced was greater visibility and transparency around the prevailing airport-taxi rates, making the cost more readily apparent to passengers,” it said.
The agency acknowledged that the comparison between the airport taxi fares and the lower rates passengers had become accustomed to through e-hailing platforms contributed to the backlash.
FAAN said it had listened to the concerns raised by passengers and made the necessary adjustments.
The authority assured travellers that its decisions would continue to be guided by the need to balance passenger convenience with safety, security, order and accountability at Nigerian airports.
It thanked passengers for their patience and understanding during the period of disruption.
Leave a Reply