FAAN Suspends Uber, Bolt at Nigerian Airports, Introduces ACHRAMS Amid Fare Controversy

LAGOS, Nigeria: The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has moved to tighten the regulation of commercial transportation at airports across the country, a development that temporarily disrupted the operations of popular ride-hailing platforms Uber and Bolt and triggered widespread complaints over rising airport taxi fares.

The controversy began after FAAN directed e-hailing operators to suspend commercial operations within airports under its management pending the conclusion of formal licensing and operational agreements.

The move affected major gateways including the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, leaving some arriving passengers with fewer transportation options and prompting reports of significantly higher fares.

However, in the latest development on Thursday, August 27, FAAN announced that Bolt has been cleared to resume operations immediately after both parties reached an agreed operational framework.

FAAN said discussions with other e-hailing operators are continuing and expressed confidence that the outstanding issues would be resolved in the coming days.

What triggered the dispute?

The issue dates back to a FAAN directive issued on July 30 and signed by U.R. Liman, General Manager of Commercial Services.

The directive ordered the suspension of Uber and Bolt operations across FAAN-managed airports pending the completion of formal concession and licensing arrangements.

The authority’s position was that commercial vehicles operating within airport premises needed to be properly identified, registered and accountable.

FAAN said it had been dealing with problems involving commercial and e-hailing vehicles for several years, including passenger solicitation, touting, random pick-ups, unregulated operations and concerns about security and accountability.

According to FAAN, airports are security-sensitive environments where thousands of passengers, workers, vehicles and service providers interact daily.

The authority therefore wants to know which vehicles are operating inside its airports, who is driving them, where passengers are being picked up and how those journeys can be traced when necessary.

FAAN introduces ACHRAMS

At the centre of the controversy is FAAN’s Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS).

The system was introduced to improve the management, registration and monitoring of commercial vehicles operating within airport environments.

FAAN, however, has strongly rejected suggestions that ACHRAMS was created as a replacement for Uber or Bolt.

The authority said ACHRAMS is not an e-hailing application and was never designed to compete with commercial mobility platforms.

Instead, FAAN described it as a queue-management and airport transportation management system intended to provide greater visibility, accountability and structure around authorised airport car-hire services.

FAAN also denied that it was attempting to create a monopoly in airport transportation.

Passengers complain about soaring fares.

The temporary suspension of e-hailing services was followed by complaints from passengers over the cost of airport taxis.

One of the most widely discussed cases involved a reported ₦30,000 fare from Murtala Muhammed International Airport to Ikeja.

A travel creator, Chris Joondeph, said he had previously paid considerably less for the same journey through an e-hailing platform.

After rejecting the ₦30,000 airport taxi fare, he reportedly left the airport premises and eventually obtained an alternative ride outside the airport for about ₦6,100.

Other reports indicated that passengers travelling to destinations farther across Lagos were being quoted substantially higher fares, with some airport cab operators reportedly charging between ₦55,000 and ₦70,000 for certain journeys.

BusinessDay also reported that airport cab fares for some shorter journeys within the Ikeja area had reached ₦30,000, compared with considerably lower prices passengers had become accustomed to seeing on e-hailing applications.

The reports generated significant public criticism, particularly because passengers could compare the airport fares with prices available through ride-hailing applications.

FAAN denies fixing the fares

FAAN has pushed back against suggestions that it introduced or fixed the controversial taxi prices.

According to the authority, the fares highlighted in public discussions were not newly imposed by FAAN or created by ACHRAMS.

FAAN said airport taxi fares had existed independently of the new system and that the rates were not substantially different from those previously applicable.

The authority said ACHRAMS simply provided greater visibility around existing airport taxi rates.

However, FAAN acknowledged that passengers naturally became more concerned when those fares were compared with the lower prices they had become accustomed to through e-hailing platforms.

FAAN apologises to passengers

Amid the controversy, FAAN acknowledged the difficulties caused by the temporary interruption of e-hailing services.

Henry Agbebire, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at FAAN, said the authority was aware of the concerns expressed by passengers.

FAAN subsequently apologised for the inconvenience and said it had listened to public concerns and made adjustments.

The authority maintained that its actions were driven by regulatory, safety and security considerations rather than an attempt to make money from passengers.

Bolt gets clearance to return.

The biggest development in the dispute came on Thursday, August 27.

FAAN announced that it had reached an acceptable operational framework with Bolt following constructive discussions.

The company has now been cleared to resume its services at FAAN-managed airports immediately.

FAAN said the agreement demonstrates that airport security and regulatory requirements can coexist with passengers’ freedom to choose e-hailing services.

The authority also said it remains engaged with other e-hailing operators and expects the outstanding discussions to be concluded soon.

What about Uber?

Uber’s situation remains different from Bolt’s as of Thursday.

While both platforms were affected by the earlier suspension, FAAN’s latest announcement specifically confirms Bolt’s clearance to resume operations.

Discussions with other e-hailing operators are still ongoing.

This means it would currently be inaccurate to report that FAAN has permanently banned Uber and Bolt from Nigerian airports or that FAAN has completely replaced the two platforms with its own taxi service.

Instead, the dispute has been centred on airport access, licensing, concession arrangements, vehicle identification, passenger safety and operational control.

Why the controversy matters

The dispute highlights a growing tension between traditional airport transport systems and app-based mobility services.

For passengers, e-hailing platforms offer several advantages, including upfront fare estimates, driver identification, digital trip records, GPS tracking and the ability to share journey information with relatives or friends.

Traditional airport taxi operators, meanwhile, operate within a more controlled airport environment and are subject to airport-specific regulations.

FAAN’s challenge is therefore to maintain security and accountability without unnecessarily restricting passenger choice or making airport transportation unaffordable.

What happens next?

With Bolt now cleared to return, attention is shifting to the negotiations between FAAN and the remaining e-hailing operators.

FAAN says passengers remain free to choose from available transportation options, provided the service is authorised to operate within the airport environment.

The authority has also maintained that ACHRAMS will remain focused on managing airport car-hire operations rather than competing with Uber, Bolt or other mobility platforms.

For travellers, the key question now is whether the return of e-hailing services will restore more affordable transportation options and whether similar agreements will soon be reached with other platforms.

For FAAN, the challenge will be balancing airport security, accountability and regulatory control with affordability, convenience and passenger choice.

For now, the latest position is clear: Bolt has been cleared to resume at FAAN-managed airports, while discussions with other e-hailing operators continue.