The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has reversed its ban on Bolt and other e-hailing services operating at Nigerian airports following widespread criticism over the high cost of airport taxi services.
FAAN Director of Public Affairs, Henry Agbebire, announced the reversal in a statement on Thursday.
The development follows controversy over the introduction of the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System, ACHRAM, which had restricted how passengers could access car-hire services at airports managed by FAAN.
The controversy intensified after a passenger, in a viral video posted on X, claimed that FAAN’s airport car-hire system charged N30,000 for a journey that would ordinarily cost about N8,000.
The issue triggered criticism from Nigerians, particularly over the sharp difference between airport taxi fares and prices offered by e-hailing platforms.
Clarifying its position, FAAN said ACHRAM was not an e-hailing platform like Bolt or Uber and was not designed to create a monopoly over car-hiring services at airports.
The agency said it had engaged with Bolt to resolve the operational issues surrounding the platform’s services.
“The Authority is therefore pleased to announce that, following constructive engagements, FAAN and Bolt have reached an agreeable operational framework, and Bolt is cleared to commence its services at FAAN-managed airports immediately,” Agbebire said.
The reversal means Bolt drivers can resume operations at FAAN-managed airports under the agreed framework.
FAAN’s decision comes amid growing concerns among air passengers about the affordability of transportation from Nigerian airports, particularly where conventional airport taxi fares are significantly higher than rates offered by e-hailing services.
