FAAN FACES BACKLASH OVER N30,000 AIRPORT TAXI FARE

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has come under criticism after a passenger was quoted ₦30,000 for a taxi ride from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos to Ikeja.

The controversy began after travel content creator Chris Joondeph, popularly known as “Authentic Traveling,” shared his experience at the airport. He said an airport car-hire operator quoted ₦30,000 for a trip to the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja, a journey he said previously cost him between ₦6,000 and ₦8,000 on other ride-hailing platforms.

Checks showed that the airport’s ACHRAMS platform lists fares of between ₦10,000 and ₦20,000 for trips to the city centre, while journeys to suburbs cost between ₦20,000 and ₦30,000. Inter-state trips are listed between ₦30,000 and ₦60,000.

For the same airport-to-Ikeja journey, Bolt reportedly quoted about ₦6,900, while Uber showed ₦4,200 for UberX and ₦5,800 for its Priority option.

The wide difference in fares has triggered criticism from passengers and Nigerians on social media, with some describing the airport charges as excessive and questioning the affordability of the service.

The controversy comes amid changes to the way ride-hailing services operate within Nigerian airports.

FAAN, however, has denied imposing a blanket ban on Uber, Bolt and other e-hailing platforms. The authority said it was engaging the operators to establish a framework that addresses passenger safety, security, accountability and the management of pick-up activities within airport premises.

FAAN also clarified that ACHRAMS was created primarily to provide operational visibility and tracking for commercial transportation services within airports, rather than compete with existing e-hailing platforms.

Despite the explanation, passengers have continued to call for more affordable transportation options, arguing that efforts to improve airport security and regulation should not come at the expense of passenger convenience.

The development has renewed debate over competition, pricing and consumer protection in airport transportation, with travellers urging FAAN and ride-hailing operators to resolve their differences and provide passengers with safe, reliable and reasonably priced mobility options.