The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced that Bolt is cleared to resume operations at all FAAN-managed airports with immediate effect, following weeks of disruption to e-hailing services.
In a statement signed by Henry Agbebire, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN on Thursday thanked travellers for their patience during what it described as a period of inconvenience while the Authority worked to establish “an agreeable and sustainable operational framework” for e-hailing services.
FAAN said it has spent nearly a decade trying to address problems caused by commercial and e-hailing vehicles at airports, including passenger solicitation and touting, unregulated operations, random pick-ups, and safety, security and accountability concerns. The Authority noted that some drivers operate across more than one platform, complicating oversight.
To address this, FAAN introduced ACHRAMS — the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System — a queue-management system designed to bring structure and visibility to authorised airport car-hire operations.
The Authority clarified that ACHRAMS is not an e-hailing application and was “never conceived as a competitor to Uber, Bolt or any other mobility platform.” Its role, FAAN said, is limited to managing airport car-hire ranks and authorised operations.
FAAN also addressed public concern over fares. It said airport taxi rates were not newly imposed by FAAN or created by ACHRAMS, and that the rates were not substantially different from those previously applicable. According to the Authority, what ACHRAMS did was make prevailing rates more visible to passengers, which led to comparisons with the lower fares many had become used to on e-hailing apps.
“We sincerely apologise for the difficulties this caused our passengers,” the statement read. “While the Authority’s actions were driven by regulatory, safety and security considerations rather than economic interests, FAAN acknowledges that the immediate impact on passengers was significant.”
Following “constructive engagements,” FAAN said it has reached an operational agreement with Bolt. The company is now cleared to commence services at FAAN-managed airports immediately.
The Authority added that discussions with other e-hailing operators are ongoing and it is “confident that the outstanding discussions will be concluded in the coming days.”
FAAN reiterated that passengers remain free to choose any authorised transportation option, and that its responsibility is to ensure all services operate within “a safe, secure, orderly and accountable airport environment.”
The Authority said the resolution with Bolt shows it is possible to “protect the integrity and security of the airport environment while preserving the convenience and freedom of choice that e-hailing services provide to passengers.”
