The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has denied claims that it played a role in Uber’s decision to discontinue its ride-hailing operations in Nigeria.
FAAN Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, said on Friday that the company’s decision was based on its own economic and regulatory considerations and was not prompted by 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 said FAAN’s primary responsibility was to safeguard passengers and ensure a smooth travel experience for travellers using Nigerian airports.
Kuku, however, disclosed that the authority had received several complaints about some e-hailing and car-hire operators, particularly during the December holiday period.
According to her, passengers had reported incidents involving alleged intimidation, excessive charges and being driven to destinations other than those they had requested.
She also said FAAN had encountered disagreements with some e-hailing operators over questions of liability and the administration of designated passenger pick-up areas at airports.
Kuku explained that although FAAN agreed to establish dedicated pick-up zones for e-hailing services, it expected the companies to accept responsibility for the conduct of drivers operating through 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 said.
The FAAN chief also explained that the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS) was introduced to improve transparency, identification and accountability among transport operators working within airport premises.
She stressed that FAAN does not collect fares on behalf of drivers and does not dictate whether passengers should use e-hailing platforms or 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,” Kuku added.
