FAAN Clears Bolt To Resume Operations At Nigerian Airports

FAAN Clears Bolt to Resume Operations at Nigerian Airports

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN has cleared ride hailing company Bolt to resume operations at airports under its management, following discussions aimed at resolving concerns over the regulation of e-hailing services. The decision ends a temporary disruption that had caused inconvenience for travellers and triggered complaints over limited transport options and higher fares at some airports. FAAN announced the development on Thursday, saying it had reached an agreeable operational framework with Bolt after constructive engagements between both parties. The authority said Bolt was cleared to commence its services at FAAN managed airports immediately. FAAN Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, said the discussions were held to address regulatory, safety and security concerns surrounding commercial and ride-hailing vehicles operating within airport premises. The authority had recently introduced the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System ACHRAMS as part of efforts to organise and monitor authorised commercial transport services at airports. FAAN explained that ACHRAMS was designed to improve visibility over airport transport operations, including the identification and monitoring of vehicles and drivers. However, the introduction of tighter controls had temporarily disrupted e-hailing services and prompted concerns from passengers who rely on platforms such as Bolt for relatively affordable transportation from airports. FAAN said it recognised the difficulties experienced by passengers during the disruption and apologised for the inconvenience caused. The authority also clarified that ACHRAMS is not an e-hailing application and was not created to compete with Bolt, Uber or other mobility platforms. It further denied claims that it had introduced or fixed new airport taxi fares through the system. According to FAAN, airport taxi fares existed independently of ACHRAMS, while the system merely made the existing fares more visible to passengers. The visibility of those fares, however, generated public criticism when passengers compared them with the lower prices they had become accustomed to through e-hailing platforms.The controversy was particularly fuelled by reports of high airport taxi fares, with social media users expressing concern that passengers could be forced to pay significantly more for journeys from airports when conventional taxi services were compared with ride-hailing alternatives.FAAN maintained that its intervention was driven by regulatory, safety and security considerations rather than commercial interests. The authority said airports are highly regulated environments and that all commercial transport operators must operate within a framework that allows the airport authority to monitor vehicles, drivers and passenger movements effectively. FAAN also stressed that it supports competition and does not intend to create a monopoly in airport transportation. While Bolt has now been cleared to resume operations, FAAN said discussions with other e-hailing operators are still ongoing and expressed confidence that outstanding issues would be resolved in the coming days. The development is expected to provide passengers with more transport options and restore access to Bolt services at FAAN-managed airports. The authority’s decision also marks an attempt to balance the convenience and affordability of ride-hailing services with the safety, security and regulatory requirements of Nigeria’s airports. FAAN said it would continue engaging with transport operators to establish a framework that ensures safe, orderly and convenient airport mobility for travellers.