The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has denied claims that it played any role in Uber’s reported decision to discontinue its ride-hailing operations in Nigeria.
FAAN Managing Director, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, clarified the agency’s position on Friday, saying Uber’s decision was entirely based on the company’s economic and regulatory considerations.
According to Kuku, FAAN was not involved in the decision-making process that led to the company’s exit.“I can’t speak to Uber’s exit from Nigeria.
I am sure they have their own economic and regulatory decisions as to why they chose to exit,” she said.
The FAAN boss explained that the agency’s major responsibility remains ensuring passenger safety and providing a seamless travel experience across Nigerian airports.
Kuku, however, disclosed that FAAN had received several complaints from airport users concerning the activities of some e-hailing and car-hire operators, particularly during the busy December holiday period.
She said some passengers complained of intimidation, excessive fares and cases where drivers allegedly took travellers to destinations different from those requested.
According to her, FAAN also experienced disagreements with some ride-hailing companies over issues relating to liability and the management of designated pickup areas at airports.
Kuku explained that while FAAN agreed to provide dedicated pickup zones for e-hailing services, the authority was concerned about the refusal of some companies to accept responsibility for drivers operating on their platforms.
“One of the things we struggled with was liability. They wanted dedicated pickup zones, which we agreed to, but when it came to taking responsibility for drivers, they maintained that the drivers were independent contractors and not employees of Uber.“
That created a major concern for us because of the safety issues being reported by passengers,” she stated.
The FAAN Managing Director further explained that the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS) was introduced to improve accountability, identification and monitoring of transportation operators within airport environments.
She stressed that FAAN does not collect money on behalf of drivers and does not dictate the transport options available to passengers.
According to Kuku, travellers remain free to choose between e-hailing services and airport car-hire operators.“The choice remains with the passenger.
Our responsibility is simply to ensure that those operating within the airport environment can be identified and monitored for safety purposes,” she added.
The clarification comes amid growing discussions over the operations of ride-hailing companies and transportation service providers at Nigeria’s major airports.
FAAN maintained that its policies regarding airport transportation are primarily designed to protect passengers and ensure accountability among operators working within airport premises.
