The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has addressed the controversy surrounding a N30,000 taxi fare from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, saying the rate was neither newly introduced by the authority nor created through its Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS).

The clarification was contained in a statement signed on Thursday by FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, following public criticism over the cost of transportation from the airport.

The issue gained attention after travel content creator Chris Joondeph, popularly known as Authentic Travelling, shared a video showing a quoted fare of N30,000 for a journey from the Lagos airport to the Radisson Hotel in Ikeja.

However, a check found significant differences among transportation platforms. The same journey was listed at N6,900 on another e-hailing platform, while Uber quoted N4,200 for UberX and N5,800 for its Priority option.

FAAN said the airport taxi rates that have recently generated public debate were already in existence before ACHRAMS was introduced and were not substantially different from rates that had previously applied.

According to the Authority, ACHRAMS was established to improve oversight and visibility of authorised airport car-hire services rather than to set or introduce taxi fares.

FAAN said the system has instead made existing airport taxi charges more transparent by allowing passengers to see the applicable costs more clearly.

The Authority acknowledged that the availability of lower fares on e-hailing platforms, including Uber and Bolt, had intensified concerns among passengers over airport transportation costs.

FAAN also disclosed that it had resolved its operational difficulties with Bolt, allowing the e-hailing company to resume operations at airports managed by the Authority.

The Authority said its move to strengthen the administration of commercial transportation services at airports was driven by problems that had persisted for almost 10 years. These include passenger solicitation, touting, random pick-ups, unregulated operations, as well as associated safety and accountability concerns.

FAAN maintained that it supports healthy competition within the airport transportation sector and does not intend to establish or encourage a monopoly.

Source Leadership.ng