By Kayode Olabanji
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has cleared Bolt to immediately resume its e-hailing services at airports managed by the Authority, following the resolution of recent operational disagreements between both parties.
FAAN, in a statement issued on Thursday by its Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, said it had reached an agreeable operational framework with Bolt after constructive engagements.
The Authority also apologised to passengers for the inconvenience and increased transportation costs experienced during the temporary interruption of e-hailing services at the airports.
FAAN said the resolution demonstrated that airport security and regulatory requirements could be maintained without compromising passengers’ convenience and freedom of choice.
According to the Authority, it had been working for nearly a decade to address challenges associated with commercial and e-hailing vehicles operating within the airport environment.
It listed passenger solicitation and touting, unregulated operations, random pick-ups, as well as safety, security and accountability concerns among the challenges that necessitated stronger management of commercial transportation at airports.
FAAN explained that it introduced the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS), in response to these concerns, describing it as a queue-management and airport transportation management system designed to provide greater structure, visibility and accountability for authorised airport car-hire services.
The Authority stressed that ACHRAMS was not an e-hailing application and was never designed to compete with Bolt, Uber or other mobility platforms.
ACHRAMS is not an e-hailing application and was never conceived as a competitor to Uber, Bolt or any other mobility platform, FAAN said.
It added that the system was limited to the management of airport car-hire ranks and authorised operations associated with them.