FAAN Clears Bolt to Resume Airport Operations, Holds Talks With Others

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has approved Bolt’s immediate return to airports under its management following an agreement on the conditions for operating e-hailing services within the airport environment.

The Authority said yesterday that it had reached an operational framework with Bolt, paving the way for the resumption of its services after a temporary disruption that had affected passengers’ transportation options.

In a statement by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, FAAN apologised to passengers for the inconvenience caused by the disruption and said it had taken note of concerns raised over transportation costs.

The temporary suspension had also triggered complaints about the fares charged by conventional airport car-hire operators, particularly as passengers sought alternatives to e-hailing services.

FAAN said the regulatory measures that led to the disruption were introduced to address problems that had persisted for nearly a decade in the management of commercial transportation at airports.

It listed passenger solicitation and touting, unregulated operations, random pick-ups, and safety, security and accountability concerns among the issues requiring attention.

The Authority added that some drivers operating across several e-hailing platforms had made it more difficult to monitor commercial transportation activities within the airport environment.

To address the challenges, FAAN introduced the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS), a queue and transportation management system intended to improve the organisation and monitoring of authorised airport car-hire services.

The Authority stressed that ACHRAMS was not designed as an alternative to e-hailing platforms.

“ACHRAMS is not an e-hailing application and was never conceived as a competitor to Uber, Bolt or any other mobility platform,” FAAN said.

It explained that the system was specifically created to regulate airport car-hire ranks and provide greater visibility and accountability for authorised operators.

FAAN also rejected suggestions that the system was designed to establish a monopoly in airport transportation, maintaining that it supported competition among service providers.

The Authority further clarified that the fares charged by airport taxis were not newly introduced by FAAN or created by ACHRAMS.

“It is also important to clarify that the fares highlighted in some of the recent public discussions were not rates newly imposed by FAAN or created by ACHRAMS,” it said.

According to the Authority, the fares existed independently of ACHRAMS and were not substantially different from rates previously applicable.

It said the system merely made existing airport taxi fares more visible to passengers, which became more noticeable when compared with the lower prices passengers had become accustomed to through e-hailing services.

FAAN acknowledged the concerns over higher transportation costs during the disruption, saying it understood the difficulties faced by passengers.

“We sincerely apologise for the difficulties this caused our passengers,” the Authority said.

It maintained that its regulatory actions were based on safety, security and operational considerations rather than economic interests.

Following the agreement with Bolt, FAAN said the development demonstrated that airport authorities could maintain safety and security standards without restricting passengers’ choice of transportation.

However, the Authority said discussions with other e-hailing operators had not been concluded.

“FAAN remains engaged with other e-hailing operators and is confident that the outstanding discussions will be concluded in the coming days,” it said.

The Authority reiterated that passengers remained free to select transportation services that suited their needs, provided the operators were authorised to work within the airport environment.

FAAN said its priority was to ensure that approved transportation providers operated in a safe, secure, orderly and accountable manner, while assuring passengers that their safety, convenience and overall airport experience would remain central to its decisions.