Tourist reveals exorbitant price charged for a ride at airport after e-hailing cabs were temporarily banned.
Tourist reveals exorbitant price charged for a ride at airport after e-hailing cabs were temporarily banned at Lagos and Abuja airports
Chris of Authentic Traveling has revealed difficulties he faced getting a ride out of the airport after e-hailing cabs were temporarily banned at airports.
“We have app now” an airport staff, wearing a t-shirt with Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) printed on it, told Chris when he tried to get a ride through the FAAN approved airport car hire rank management system (ACHRAMS).
When they checked the app, they tod him that a car from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, which is in Ikeja, to another location in the same Ikeja, would cost N30,000.
Chris said the trip usually cost him N6,000 to N8,000 using Uber.
He said he would not be extorted and chose instead to walk until he got to a hotel outside the airport where he ordered a ride for just N6,100.
Last week, ThisDay reported that FAAN has temporarily banned Uber and Bolt e-hailing platforms, until talks are concluded among the parties. This was reportedly in an effort to streamline the operations of taxis at the Abuja, Lagos and other airports under its management.
However, FAAN said it has not banned e-hailing services from operating at the nation’s airports.
FAAN, in a statement on Thursday, August 20, said, “FAAN has been engaging the 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 current situation should therefore not be misconstrued as FAAN declaring a blanket prohibition on e-hailing services.
“Rather, it is part of an ongoing process of operational alignment with the objective of ensuring that e-hailing services can continue to serve passengers within a framework that meets the requirements of the airport.”
