FAAN, Bolt resolve to commence immediate services at airports

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Bolt have reached an agreeable operational framework to commence its services at airports immediately.

The Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of FAAN, Henry Agbebire in a statement on Thursday in Abuja said the resolution demonstrated that it was possible to protect the integrity and security of the airport environment.

Agbebire said it preserved the convenience and freedom of choice that e-hailing services provide to passengers.

He commended members of the travelling public for their patience and understanding during the recent period of inconvenience occasioned by efforts to establish an agreeable and sustainable operational framework for e-hailing services at FAAN-managed airports.

He explained that for nearly a decade, FAAN had been working to address challenges arising from the activities of commercial and e-hailing vehicles within the airport environment.

According to him, it also includes increasing cases of passenger solicitation and touting, unregulated operations, random pick-ups, and associated safety, security and accountability concerns.

 “These challenges, which in some instances involve drivers operating across more than one platform, have made it necessary for the Authority to strengthen the management and visibility of commercial transportation within the airport.

 “It was in response to these concerns that FAAN introduced ACHRAMS (Airport Car Hire Rank Management System), a queue-management and airport transportation management system designed to bring greater structure, visibility and accountability to the operations of authorised airport car-hire services.

 “ACHRAMS is not an e-hailing application and was never conceived as a competitor to Uber, Bolt or any other mobility platform. Its function is limited to the management of airport car-hire ranks and the authorised operations associated with them,” he said.

 The director assured that FAAN supports healthy competition and does not seek to create or promote a monopoly in airport transportation.

He said it was 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.

He said airport taxi fares had existed independently of the application, and the rates themselves were not substantially different from those previously applicable.