WorldStage– The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced its resolution of operational issues with Bolt, clearing the e-hailing platform to resume services at FAAN-managed airports.
A statement signed by FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr Henry Agbebire, on Thursday in Lagos said the clearance followed recent engagements between FAAN and Bolt aimed at establishing a sustainable operational framework for e-hailing services within airport environments.
According to him, the authority thanked passengers for patience and understanding during the period of temporary interruption of e-hailing services at FAAN-managed airports.
He said that FAAN had been working for nearly a decade to address challenges associated with commercial and e-hailing vehicle operation within the airports.
He said that the challenges included passenger solicitation and touting, unregulated operations, random pick-ups and related safety, security and accountability concerns.
According to him, the challenges necessitated stronger management of commercial transport at the airports.
Agbebire said that the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS) was introduced as a queue-management and airport transport management system to bring greater structure, visibility and accountability to authorised airport car-hire services.
He said that ACHRAMS was not designed to compete with platforms such as Bolt and Uber.
“ACHRAMS is not an e-hailing application and was never conceived as a competitor to Uber, Bolt or any other mobility platform,” he said.
Agbebire added that ACHRAMS was limited to the management of airport car-hire ranks and authorised operations.
He said that it supported a healthy competition and did not seek to create monopoly in airport transport.
He clarified that fares highlighted during a recent controversy were not newly-imposed by the authority or introduced by ACHRAMS.
According to him, airport taxi fares had been independent of the system, while ACHRAMS merely provided greater visibility and transparency around prevailing airport taxi rates.
He, however, acknowledged that the comparison between airport taxi fares and lower fares passengers had become accustomed to through e-hailing platforms contributed to concerns over transport costs.
He said that FAAN was aware of the concerns expressed by passengers over increased transport costs and inconvenience during the temporary suspension of e-hailing services.
“We sincerely apologise for the difficulties this caused our passengers,” Agbebire said.
He said that while FAAN’s actions were driven by regulatory, safety and security considerations rather than economic interests, it recognised the significant impact the disruption had on passengers.
“ We have listened, reflected and made necessary adjustments,” he said.
He said the agreement between FAAN and Bolt demonstrated that airport security and integrity could be protected while convenience and freedom of choice provided by e-hailing services could be preserved.
He said that the authority was discussing with other e-hailing operators, and expressed confidence that the discussions would soon be concluded.
