The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has dismissed claims that it influenced Uber’s decision to end its ride-hailing operations in Nigeria.
FAAN Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, said on Friday that Uber’s decision was driven by the company’s own economic and regulatory considerations and had nothing to do with the airport authority.
“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,” Kuku said.
She explained that FAAN’s focus remained the safety of passengers and the provision of a smooth travel experience within Nigerian airports.
According to Kuku, the authority had received several complaints from passengers about the services provided by some e-hailing and car-hire operators, particularly during the December holiday period.
She said the complaints included alleged intimidation, excessive fares and instances where passengers were taken to destinations different from those they had requested.
Kuku also revealed that FAAN had encountered disagreements with some e-hailing companies over questions of liability and the operation of designated pickup points at airports.
She said FAAN agreed to allocate specific pickup areas to e-hailing companies but expected the firms to accept responsibility for the conduct of drivers using 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.
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Kuku further said FAAN introduced the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS) to improve transparency, identification and accountability among transportation providers operating within airport premises.
She clarified that the authority does not collect payments on behalf of drivers and does not dictate whether passengers should use e-hailing platforms or airport car-hire services.
“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.