Nigerian travellers have lamented the rising cost of transport fare from airports to their respective destinations within the country. Many of these travellers complained about being left with no other option than to patronize authorized airport taxis, as the distance to the main town, especially at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, is far.
A netizen, on X (@icekied) posted; “Now that bolt/uber/indrive has been suspended from the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport in Abuja, to get a ride from the airport from an airport taxi, you would pay nothing less than ₦35,000 and above. Nothing is looking easy in Nigeria; everywhere someone is getting things affordable, it is being blocked, and prices are skyrocketing every day. Nigeria, which way?”
A check on ACHRAMS website, a car hire service platform approved by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), shows the regular car hire service costs a N40,000 flat rate while a VIP costs a N45,000 flat rate.
How to Handle This, the Cheaper Way
Some netizens and passengers have shared workaround tips to navigate the new policy at the airports without breaking the bank.
@CollinsUma: “There are very clean Green Buses with air conditioning that depart from Airport to Central Area for 10k every 30 minutes whether they’re filled or not. You don’t need to pay 35k to get to town. Use the bus.”
@ukatcher: “Get taxi to the main road only and from there you get any car you want to your destination. My own strategy is simple. 3500 to 4000 to the main road and enter along to town preferably i enter the front and pay for two seats.”
@_InsideNigeria: “Take the electric bus to town 10k to 15k. If you live towards Idu, Kukwaba, or going to the central area, you can use the train. That’s also free. If you still prefer airport taxi, use this third option: pair with someone. You pay the same 20k you should have paid Bolt. Fifth option: schedule a Bolt ahead of your trip, who would wait for you at a public car park; you only need to go up to the park to meet him.”
Alternatively, you can have your family members and/or friends come and pick you up at the airport as private cars are allowed in the vicinity.
FAAN reacts
Reacting to the development, FAAN, in a statement on August 20, stated it is “engaging with relevant e-hailing operators to achieve a mutually workable operational framework that recognises the value of their services while addressing the peculiar safety, security, accountability, and passenger-experience requirements of the airport environment.”
The airport authority said its position was not intended to limit passengers’ access to transportation options or undermine the role of e-hailing services in providing convenient mobility to air travellers.
Rather, the authority said its primary responsibility is to ensure that activities within the airport environment are conducted in a manner that guarantees the safety, security and convenience of passengers and other airport users.
‘FAAN Wanted to Dictate Taxi Operators’ Services’
There are insinuations that the delay in the engagement between FAAN and taxi operators at the Lagos airports to yield a fruitful result was because the airport authority allegedly wanted to have full control to determine the kind of services the taxis offer to air travellers who use the airport.
A lawyer interviewed by THISDAY, Williams Ikem, noted that “Over the years, FAAN had frowned at taxi associations like the then Airport Car Hire Association of Nigeria and has decided to recognise the operators as individual companies, in an effort to streamline taxi operation at the airports. The ones who formed the now defunct association have been there over the years. They are the traditional car hire service providers.
“These car hire operators have made financial contributions to be operating at the airports, but Uber and Bolt are not complying with FAAN’s regulations. For example, FAAN wants relatively new vehicles as taxis. So, it directed that all vehicles used as taxis at the airport must not be older than 2012. Uber and Bolt have different criteria. Their inspectors want cars that have air conditioning and meet all other conditions of roadworthiness, but FAAN is interested in the age of the vehicles,” the lawyer said.
He also explained that FAAN wanted to have an agreement with Uber and Bolt, but the two e-hailing service providers did not agree with this, maybe because they have already registered with the government.
